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.hack// Another Birth #4
.hack// Another Birth 4
In order to save her younger brother, who lost consciousness while playing the online game "The World," Akira must enter the fantasy world herself, which she does as the character BlackRose.
239 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 7, 2017
Overview/Summary: In order for Akira to save her younger brother, who suddenly loses consciousness in the middle of playing The World, she enters the online fantasy game as the Heavy Blade-wielding BlackRose. While heading toward the area where her brother's consciousness was stolen, BlackRose meets the Twin Blade fighter Kite, and the two stumble across a sinister plot hidden deep beneath the surface of the MMORPG.
Review: I was in high school when I first got my greedy hands on the original .hack game quartet, and halfway through my high school career these novels were released. In essence, they are the story from the games, retold from the perspective of BlackRose, the first stalwart companion that Kite (the protagonist and player's character) bonds with when trying to uncover why the game caused his friend to slip into a coma. This gives us some special insight into her own motivations for playing the game, and how they parallel those of Kite. I recall reading the copies a friend had, because I had gotten stuck at a point in the first game, .hack//Infection and was frustrated enough that I put the game down and then later misplaced it. The novels allowed me at the time to get the rest of the story that I was so eager to eat up, and helped to further solidify a special soft spot in my heart for the overall story behind .hack.
As an adult re-reading these light novels, I am able to spot far more flaws, loose ends, and clumsy writing present in the books throughout the quartet. The first two are written in such a way it feels like Kawasaki was just trying to pump them out fast in order to get a paycheck, but the latter two show a bit more care and dedication put into them. There are a good many faults and shortcomings throughout the quartet (some of which can possibly be blamed on poor translation from the Tokyopop publishers, but many of which could be attributed to poor writing) but these are balanced out by plenty of pro's in the story as well.
——
Some thoughts...
Positive: The plot of the books follows that of the original games pretty religiously, while breathing fresh life into a protagonist who is often overlooked or shafted into the labels of "loud and bossy". Kawasaki does a wonderful job of characterizing Akira (who is a somewhat relatable character for high school sophomores) and her player character in The World, BlackRose. A fine line is drawn to illustrate that while Akira doesn't totally get into roleplaying like other players of the MMO, BlackRose is sort of a skin for her to slip into, a stronger and more confident version of herself. This allows us to better comprehend how it is that she acts throughout the overall plotline, rather than shallowly giving off the impression of "loud bossy b!+ch."
Positive: A point often brought up in the fandom of the franchise is the relationship between BlackRose and main protagonist Kite, especially thanks to their [relatively small] age gap and the ambiguous interactions they have. The novels do a wonderful job of furthering that ambiguity, neither solidly stating that there is a deeper relationship between the two nor leaving it at them simply having a bond of friendship. If nothing else, the two are shown to have a close sort of brothers-in-arms dynamic, as they were companions brought together by intertwined tragedy and became stalwart companions in their efforts to remedy that tragedy. There is no overwhelming sense of romance, but their relationship isn't also played off as simply being friends either, something that is rather fitting for both of them.
Positive: The books also allow for more fleshing-out of additional important characters like Mistral, Mia, and Elk. Though still one-sided at times, the characters are given important development due to how central they are to the story, and enable the reader to connect with them a little more.
Unsure About This: The formatting for the novels alters between the second and third volumes. While the first two are written and formatted in a way that make them an "easy read" (the sort anyone can plow through in a couple of hours,) the formatting is altered slightly in the final two, presumably due to the additional heft and size of the books as well as perhaps some growth in Kawasaki as a writer. (Could be growth, could be that her editors demanded she add a little more meat to the story.)
Unsure About This: Small chunks at the end of each volume include character design sketches, possibly to make up for a lack of visual description. These are additionally accompanied (throughout the chapters) by illustrations of events here and there, drawn in black and white pencil.
Neutral: We receive a lot of information about Akira's personal offline life, partially to better allow the readers to understand her motivations for playing the game and partially to keep the plot moving along as she does what little detective work she can on her end to help Kite unravel the mysterious secret hiding within The World. Unfortunately, there are often aspects of this offline life that serve little to no purpose to the overall plot, and their relevance is questionable. Many of these scenes could potentially be removed or shortened without affecting the overall story, and additional aspects these scenes bring to the plot are often left as loose ends without any real resolution.
Neutral: Some of the phrases and things said in dialogue exchanges are awkward or confusing, though most of these could be attributed to things being lost in translation from the original Japanese language.
Neutral: Emotional impact can be haphazard throughout the quartet. While it's clear Kawasaki made an effort to deliver emotional impact for some events (such as Akira's father being temporarily "lost" in a huge accident in a nearby precinct,) these are clumsily done and on occasion tend to fall flat. This seems to improve more with the later novels, so perhaps it's due to a lack of passion in the writing at the start.
Negative: One of the biggest failings of this quartet is the expectation of readers to be familiar with the plot of the original four games at the very least, and the "Sign" and "Liminality" anime series as well. Because of this, characters are often not described in excessive detail if at all, concepts concerning the MMORPG The World are barely skimmed over, and there are several terms and concepts that will fly right over the readers' head. The books are not a friendly starting point for a beginner to the .hack// franchise, and probably should not be tackled without watching a playthrough of .hack//Infection at the very least.
Negative: Something that avid fans who have played the original games will notice is that in the start of the novel Infection, the dialogue for Kite and BlackRose's initial encounter is reversed, with Kite coming across as the confrontational jerk and BlackRose being dumbstruck. Additional segments of dialogue between the two are also later reversed from what they are in the original games, but these changes are a bit more subtle.
Negative: There are cameos from minor characters in the games and other characters in the .hack//Sign anime and .hack//Liminality OVAs, but unless the reader is even vaguely familiar with these anime installments, these cameos will go over their heads and fall flat, seeming out of place.
Negative: Random events come and go throughout the books, usually in the form of BlackRose's interaction with other player characters. Though this is important for the sake of character development, a lot of these events seem to be placed in some of the worst spots for the progression of the plot, and arguably should have been shifted to much earlier throughout the over-arcing story.
——
Final thoughts and recommendations: I'm glad to have finally been able to buy my own copies of these books! I remember them with a warm glow of nostalgia and even if I have become more critical of them after having re-read them, I still am able to say that I enjoy them for what they are. That being said, I do not recommend them for brand-new people interested in getting invested in the .hack// franchise, as there is too much ambiguity and a clear requirement for the reader to at least be familiar with the story from the very first game installment. Anyone who has a vague understanding however, might be able to enjoy them. As for long-time, hardcore fans of the original games and the franchise, I do highly recommend these books! If nothing else, they help build up the world and the characters (and if you can actually find copies of the books, it never hurts to buy them if you're a collector like myself.)
Review: I was in high school when I first got my greedy hands on the original .hack game quartet, and halfway through my high school career these novels were released. In essence, they are the story from the games, retold from the perspective of BlackRose, the first stalwart companion that Kite (the protagonist and player's character) bonds with when trying to uncover why the game caused his friend to slip into a coma. This gives us some special insight into her own motivations for playing the game, and how they parallel those of Kite. I recall reading the copies a friend had, because I had gotten stuck at a point in the first game, .hack//Infection and was frustrated enough that I put the game down and then later misplaced it. The novels allowed me at the time to get the rest of the story that I was so eager to eat up, and helped to further solidify a special soft spot in my heart for the overall story behind .hack.
As an adult re-reading these light novels, I am able to spot far more flaws, loose ends, and clumsy writing present in the books throughout the quartet. The first two are written in such a way it feels like Kawasaki was just trying to pump them out fast in order to get a paycheck, but the latter two show a bit more care and dedication put into them. There are a good many faults and shortcomings throughout the quartet (some of which can possibly be blamed on poor translation from the Tokyopop publishers, but many of which could be attributed to poor writing) but these are balanced out by plenty of pro's in the story as well.
——
Some thoughts...
Positive: The plot of the books follows that of the original games pretty religiously, while breathing fresh life into a protagonist who is often overlooked or shafted into the labels of "loud and bossy". Kawasaki does a wonderful job of characterizing Akira (who is a somewhat relatable character for high school sophomores) and her player character in The World, BlackRose. A fine line is drawn to illustrate that while Akira doesn't totally get into roleplaying like other players of the MMO, BlackRose is sort of a skin for her to slip into, a stronger and more confident version of herself. This allows us to better comprehend how it is that she acts throughout the overall plotline, rather than shallowly giving off the impression of "loud bossy b!+ch."
Positive: A point often brought up in the fandom of the franchise is the relationship between BlackRose and main protagonist Kite, especially thanks to their [relatively small] age gap and the ambiguous interactions they have. The novels do a wonderful job of furthering that ambiguity, neither solidly stating that there is a deeper relationship between the two nor leaving it at them simply having a bond of friendship. If nothing else, the two are shown to have a close sort of brothers-in-arms dynamic, as they were companions brought together by intertwined tragedy and became stalwart companions in their efforts to remedy that tragedy. There is no overwhelming sense of romance, but their relationship isn't also played off as simply being friends either, something that is rather fitting for both of them.
Positive: The books also allow for more fleshing-out of additional important characters like Mistral, Mia, and Elk. Though still one-sided at times, the characters are given important development due to how central they are to the story, and enable the reader to connect with them a little more.
Unsure About This: The formatting for the novels alters between the second and third volumes. While the first two are written and formatted in a way that make them an "easy read" (the sort anyone can plow through in a couple of hours,) the formatting is altered slightly in the final two, presumably due to the additional heft and size of the books as well as perhaps some growth in Kawasaki as a writer. (Could be growth, could be that her editors demanded she add a little more meat to the story.)
Unsure About This: Small chunks at the end of each volume include character design sketches, possibly to make up for a lack of visual description. These are additionally accompanied (throughout the chapters) by illustrations of events here and there, drawn in black and white pencil.
Neutral: We receive a lot of information about Akira's personal offline life, partially to better allow the readers to understand her motivations for playing the game and partially to keep the plot moving along as she does what little detective work she can on her end to help Kite unravel the mysterious secret hiding within The World. Unfortunately, there are often aspects of this offline life that serve little to no purpose to the overall plot, and their relevance is questionable. Many of these scenes could potentially be removed or shortened without affecting the overall story, and additional aspects these scenes bring to the plot are often left as loose ends without any real resolution.
Neutral: Some of the phrases and things said in dialogue exchanges are awkward or confusing, though most of these could be attributed to things being lost in translation from the original Japanese language.
Neutral: Emotional impact can be haphazard throughout the quartet. While it's clear Kawasaki made an effort to deliver emotional impact for some events (such as Akira's father being temporarily "lost" in a huge accident in a nearby precinct,) these are clumsily done and on occasion tend to fall flat. This seems to improve more with the later novels, so perhaps it's due to a lack of passion in the writing at the start.
Negative: One of the biggest failings of this quartet is the expectation of readers to be familiar with the plot of the original four games at the very least, and the "Sign" and "Liminality" anime series as well. Because of this, characters are often not described in excessive detail if at all, concepts concerning the MMORPG The World are barely skimmed over, and there are several terms and concepts that will fly right over the readers' head. The books are not a friendly starting point for a beginner to the .hack// franchise, and probably should not be tackled without watching a playthrough of .hack//Infection at the very least.
Negative: Something that avid fans who have played the original games will notice is that in the start of the novel Infection, the dialogue for Kite and BlackRose's initial encounter is reversed, with Kite coming across as the confrontational jerk and BlackRose being dumbstruck. Additional segments of dialogue between the two are also later reversed from what they are in the original games, but these changes are a bit more subtle.
Negative: There are cameos from minor characters in the games and other characters in the .hack//Sign anime and .hack//Liminality OVAs, but unless the reader is even vaguely familiar with these anime installments, these cameos will go over their heads and fall flat, seeming out of place.
Negative: Random events come and go throughout the books, usually in the form of BlackRose's interaction with other player characters. Though this is important for the sake of character development, a lot of these events seem to be placed in some of the worst spots for the progression of the plot, and arguably should have been shifted to much earlier throughout the over-arcing story.
——
Final thoughts and recommendations: I'm glad to have finally been able to buy my own copies of these books! I remember them with a warm glow of nostalgia and even if I have become more critical of them after having re-read them, I still am able to say that I enjoy them for what they are. That being said, I do not recommend them for brand-new people interested in getting invested in the .hack// franchise, as there is too much ambiguity and a clear requirement for the reader to at least be familiar with the story from the very first game installment. Anyone who has a vague understanding however, might be able to enjoy them. As for long-time, hardcore fans of the original games and the franchise, I do highly recommend these books! If nothing else, they help build up the world and the characters (and if you can actually find copies of the books, it never hurts to buy them if you're a collector like myself.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2024
A nice final entry to the series.
However, in a different review, I mentioned - as a metaphor -that I don't like boss fights in video games.
This volume being the final entry to original .hack video games, it is of course filled to the brim with boss fights, which is a personal gripe of mine and doesn't really count as valid criticism, I guess.
What I definitely can put forth as objective criticism, however, is that this volume totally failed at the punch line of the story. After chasing for Aura throughout all the games/novels and the Epitaph being build up as this mysterious something that lurks in the worldbuilding of THE WORLD, none of the points regarding Aura, Harold Huick, Emma Wieland, and the Epitaph of Twilight are resolved in a satisfying fashion. Maybe this is done the same way in the games, but I found it rather astounding how this main mystery just seemed to thin out and is pretty much ignored at the end of the novel...
However, in a different review, I mentioned - as a metaphor -that I don't like boss fights in video games.
This volume being the final entry to original .hack video games, it is of course filled to the brim with boss fights, which is a personal gripe of mine and doesn't really count as valid criticism, I guess.
What I definitely can put forth as objective criticism, however, is that this volume totally failed at the punch line of the story. After chasing for Aura throughout all the games/novels and the Epitaph being build up as this mysterious something that lurks in the worldbuilding of THE WORLD, none of the points regarding Aura, Harold Huick, Emma Wieland, and the Epitaph of Twilight are resolved in a satisfying fashion. Maybe this is done the same way in the games, but I found it rather astounding how this main mystery just seemed to thin out and is pretty much ignored at the end of the novel...
August 2, 2012
I really enjoyed the video game series, and although I'm a bit disappointed that this book is retelling the events of the video game, I think it was nice to have a different perspective and a little more explanation on the situation.
I really would have liked to see more after the end though. Maybe her telling her brother about all the adventures she has rescuing him and how the game was after they saved it.
I really would have liked to see more after the end though. Maybe her telling her brother about all the adventures she has rescuing him and how the game was after they saved it.
May 28, 2014
SWBST+THEME
Akira is still wants to free her brother from his coma but she still has to battle the data bugs and remaining phases. So she and her companions set out to on missions to take the remaining phases out. Then you must read the book for yourself.
The theme in this book is hope because when Akira and her friends were on the brink of death Aura came out of the blue and assisted them in their finial fight.
Akira is still wants to free her brother from his coma but she still has to battle the data bugs and remaining phases. So she and her companions set out to on missions to take the remaining phases out. Then you must read the book for yourself.
The theme in this book is hope because when Akira and her friends were on the brink of death Aura came out of the blue and assisted them in their finial fight.
December 10, 2009
this the great book of all time if u see this book u should read it. I like to read book some are graet and some r bad but i still like to read
July 28, 2012
I am finally done this series. YAY!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews