Huge .Hack// fan and I guess most people will hate on Shadow dissing .Hack// Roots, but actually this review is spot on. I watched the anime with the idea in mind that I'd go for the full package: Watch the anime and then play the GU series, but I finished the anime thinking "this was kinda dull, did I miss something?" But hearing this summary... Yeah, that's basically exactly what I also got from it. Having said that... .Hack is still good and shouldn't be missed just because of one flat "season".
Roots was meant to be slow; One thing as Americans watching this we lack the initial understanding that this show was advertised as a precursor to the GU series that was being launched in Japan. That context is important - So I feel your review is 'fair' but I thought I'd drop that nugget too. While you watched this in present day as an American this would not have made any sense - This build up sets up the .hack//gu series perfectly and man makes playing the games 100% better. **SPOILER** You do learn that Haseo is actually a player from the PREVIOUS .hack// games! They just have forgotten they had played it prior hence why you learn their connection to the their Avatar. Its super important so while this is a SLOW cartoon there is a ton of context - THE games actually set AFTER this anime. There is also a lot about Haseo the character that you wouldn't be totally aware of without the AMV's either.. but like Kingdom Hearts all this can get lost in translation. Any Phyllo's fate... when you meet him in GU.. it crushes your heart...
Funny fact,Haseo isn’t even so lunatic in the first game,sure he is hunting down Tri-Edge but he is much more of a selfish lone wolf than anything,and to be honest,that’s part of the magic of the games,to see Haseo mature and open himself to others,while not giving up on his initial objective.Definetly a thing that Roots did wrong was Haseo’s character in the second half or even throughout the hole show in general.I honestly feel it would still be too hard of a turn for him even if the second half had his character done right.
Only worthwhile thing to know from ROOTS is the part where Haseo gains his power from Harold at the end of the Forest of Pain, as that is what sets his downfall against Tri-Edge at the end of anime/beginning of Vol. 1 Game.
For a short explanation of how Roots is “important” to the games. Roots was fully intended to be watched before the games. The games even assumes you watched Roots, not introducing any of the characters at all, such as Ovan or Shino. However in the game, 90% of the cast doesn’t even show up, so setting up these characters in the anime doesn’t even make sense. (Such as Tabi who doesn’t even show up until after the FINAL GAME ends). Some of the plot lines do get solved in the game, but only for characters that matter, so if your a side character then too bad you get nothing (Meaning everything about just Ovan but no one else). It gets even worse because the second half of the anime doesn’t even matter, everything he does pretty much becomes null and void at the beginning of the game. Haseo also loses all character development he had in the anime and stays a piece of shit edgelord for a large majority of the first game. The only thing the anime is good for is giving SOME explanations to character motivations of the first game and is used as a conduit to introduce characters, which ALSO doesn’t really matter because almost all the characters that return Haseo didn’t even meet face to face. TLDR: It’s a waste of everyone’s time and shouldn’t be watched by anyone even if you like the games because it doesn’t really bring anything to the table besides character introductions.
Kiriju. Heads up I like Asbel Lhant too. The game Tales of Graces F which I have played inspired me to watch Sao and i still love both the series today.
The show was not in fact intended to be fully watched first. That's just impossible as the show was running alongside the game; the last episode aired just before the last game. The show was not intended to make you want to play the game but rather unravel how things got to what happens in the game by going back and forth inbetween game releases.
Interesting. I disagree (imagine that on the interwebs). I kind of loved the spacey, slow, abstractness of it all. It was similar to a Stephen King novel in how the story unraveled. By the end I think a viewer either has the patience to "get it," or they don't. The story is a maturation story. Haseo comes into the game unsure of himself, questioning everything and everyone, tho, in a timid or reticent manner. He trusts no one but can't deny his curiosity. By the end, there's confidence to him and not just the defensive aloofness he used as a crutch. Tabby matures too in a sort of complimentary way. It's all gradual and that's the bit I really liked. The reason is that it felt more real, as if I was existing in that MMO. IDK how many people in this comment section have played MMO's for extensive periods, but it is a very slow, gradual discovery of self that occurs over the months or maybe years. A player goes in full of questions, understanding nothing, but slowly they learn, grow, and become confident in their skills, and in who they are as a person. It's a maturation process, and that is what this anime was after. I don't know that it was the best execution, but I still enjoyed it. I definitely enjoy the gaming attributes like PC's switching avatars, and it being a bizarre experience knowing a person but not recognizing them. I also like some of the music, with one key song standing out to me. Is this a 10/10 anime? No. Is it terrible? No. Is it for everyone? No. There has to be some appreciation for the abstract, and a willingness to abide a more slow, character-driven story in order to get into this one. Personally, I enjoyed hanging out in the world, and gimmicks or snazzy illustrations would detract from it.
The games pretty much answer all the questions you had. So yeah, standalone, this sucks hard...even with the games, it's not that great, but it does set up stuff in the games pretty nicely.
Shouldn't the next one you review be the .hack//G.U. Trilogy movie next? p.s. It crams the story of 3 games into a hour and a half movie, so you know it will have amazing pacing!
Yea funny thing about Haseo is that he's actually Sora from .hack sign. Yea I was honestly shocked when I found out. I also agree with everything in this review, that anime was full on trash. The games are awesome though.
@@RUDEST99 what happens to him was covered in the .hack games that followed kite. He was taken over by Skeith, and when Kite defeated him he was released and woke up. That's why Haseo has Skeith as his Avatar. In fact all the Epitaph users came in contact with their avatars before they learned to use their power. Look up the recap that explains the complete timeline of the .hack series, you'll be shocked how connected everything is.
Roots basically expects the person to play the game immediately after watching the anime. The games explain all the questions you have from this review. There is also a movie adaptation of the games but it’s one movie that crams in three games into an hour and a half.
Put simply just play the G.U. Remaster instead. There is literally a 5 minute cutscene after the time skip in the game that explains everything that happens in Roots. Also almost every character, besides some of the main cast, in this show are pointless to the games. Haseo is also very unlikable in this anime whereas the game's he's got a very well done character arc.
It really helps to play the games first and then watch roots. Then you’d find out that [SPOILERS] Ovan is trying to revive his comatose sister who was attacked by a mysterious computer anomaly called AIDA. The only problem is that AIDA is extremely resilient and can’t just be deleted, so he seeks the Key of the Twilight, a mystical property that can obliterate AIDA entirely. Ovan soon finds that to bring the Key of Twilight into existence, the first epitaph (Named “Skeith: The Terror of Death”) from the Epitaph of Twilight needs to “devour” the other seven, with “Corbenik: The Rebirth” being the last. And he also finds out that he is actually The Rebirth and that Haseo is the Terror of Death. So everything beyond that point is Ovan trying to guide Haseo to battle the other epitaphs to factory reset the internet and bring his sister back.
Absolutely agree. Hack is a prime example why you don't split your franchise across different media. Splitting it among anime and platform-exclusive game is just stupid. Nier/Drakengard has exact same problem and thats why Nier/Drakengard franchise are going nowhere.
I swear the start of this anime was like pulling freakin TEETH. And I remember seeing this anime a couple times on a early Saturday morning on Cartoon Network because I was excited to see a cool looking anime at that time and I had crap internet and buying anime online wasnt in the cards. Tried to watch it again on Hulu but man it feels like hitting up a back alley Dentist. Just finished Ep 2 there and I think thats about it, playing some Dragon Quest XI: S.
7864th petition to watch HxH Also I think anime based off games have similar problems to movies based off games. Tho at least anime have the exaggerated expressions and longer run time on its side
Shadow ACS, after you finish with the .hack trilogy reviews, would you consider doing an analysis on Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie 3: Rebellion, or Sanrio Dashi?
You clearly was not in right space of mind for this anime. Yes nothing basically happens but the small things like haseo going mad because a crush and hunting a “glitch” is kinda cool imo. I love this anime and I think this genre is really niche and probably not what you enjoy watching and that’s okay, but don’t tell people to not watch something when you actually don’t know if they would enjoy this or not. I know this vid is old but just saw it now, I actually never knew this was a prequel to a game. Might try it😅
You're better off just skipping this and jumping into the G U games or watching the GU Trilogy movie. I adore the dot hack video games and while I do like some of the anime connected to them most don't do the games the Justice they deserve and my recommendation is always to play the games if you get the chance.
I only had Kite and Black Rose in Project X Zone as part of a team from the party on a ds strategy rpg that I got tired of playing and sold to CeX years ago. The Fire Emblem 3ds games which I still play now ended up being a better strategy rpg series for me.
I played gu roots so I was exited to watch the anime man I had time getting thru it was kinda boring for a while. Haseo only really acknowledges shio Making the guild irrelevant.Especially since the cat girl is. secret character in one the later gu games. Hopefully shadowacs does the type moon lunar legend anime review
I've seen something worse than DearS. It deserves no attention, so I won't even mention it's name, BUT, it was so horrendously bad, that I gave it up in absolute disgust in one episode, and never looked back.
Huge .Hack// fan and I guess most people will hate on Shadow dissing .Hack// Roots, but actually this review is spot on.
I watched the anime with the idea in mind that I'd go for the full package: Watch the anime and then play the GU series, but I finished the anime thinking "this was kinda dull, did I miss something?" But hearing this summary... Yeah, that's basically exactly what I also got from it.
Having said that... .Hack is still good and shouldn't be missed just because of one flat "season".
Roots was meant to be slow; One thing as Americans watching this we lack the initial understanding that this show was advertised as a precursor to the GU series that was being launched in Japan. That context is important - So I feel your review is 'fair' but I thought I'd drop that nugget too. While you watched this in present day as an American this would not have made any sense - This build up sets up the .hack//gu series perfectly and man makes playing the games 100% better.
**SPOILER**
You do learn that Haseo is actually a player from the PREVIOUS .hack// games! They just have forgotten they had played it prior hence why you learn their connection to the their Avatar. Its super important so while this is a SLOW cartoon there is a ton of context - THE games actually set AFTER this anime. There is also a lot about Haseo the character that you wouldn't be totally aware of without the AMV's either.. but like Kingdom Hearts all this can get lost in translation.
Any Phyllo's fate... when you meet him in GU.. it crushes your heart...
I always get so excited to see more content from you! Keep up the great work man
Pray for ACS for when he jumps straight into //Trilogy.
Fun facts: haseo is sora from .hack sign
Funny fact,Haseo isn’t even so lunatic in the first game,sure he is hunting down Tri-Edge but he is much more of a selfish lone wolf than anything,and to be honest,that’s part of the magic of the games,to see Haseo mature and open himself to others,while not giving up on his initial objective.Definetly a thing that Roots did wrong was Haseo’s character in the second half or even throughout the hole show in general.I honestly feel it would still be too hard of a turn for him even if the second half had his character done right.
I thought .Hack Roots was okay.
Same it was a dope slow burn especially around 3am when it would play
What you call the "Guilty Crown affect" I call the "Uchiha affect" and this is only for people who've watched Naruto to get that
Blackcriticguy usually says, "it's the anime i'm reviewing not the manga" or in this case game.
Only worthwhile thing to know from ROOTS is the part where Haseo gains his power from Harold at the end of the Forest of Pain, as that is what sets his downfall against Tri-Edge at the end of anime/beginning of Vol. 1 Game.
For a short explanation of how Roots is “important” to the games. Roots was fully intended to be watched before the games. The games even assumes you watched Roots, not introducing any of the characters at all, such as Ovan or Shino.
However in the game, 90% of the cast doesn’t even show up, so setting up these characters in the anime doesn’t even make sense. (Such as Tabi who doesn’t even show up until after the FINAL GAME ends).
Some of the plot lines do get solved in the game, but only for characters that matter, so if your a side character then too bad you get nothing (Meaning everything about just Ovan but no one else).
It gets even worse because the second half of the anime doesn’t even matter, everything he does pretty much becomes null and void at the beginning of the game. Haseo also loses all character development he had in the anime and stays a piece of shit edgelord for a large majority of the first game.
The only thing the anime is good for is giving SOME explanations to character motivations of the first game and is used as a conduit to introduce characters, which ALSO doesn’t really matter because almost all the characters that return Haseo didn’t even meet face to face.
TLDR: It’s a waste of everyone’s time and shouldn’t be watched by anyone even if you like the games because it doesn’t really bring anything to the table besides character introductions.
Kiriju. Heads up I like Asbel Lhant too. The game Tales of Graces F which I have played inspired me to watch Sao and i still love both the series today.
The show was not in fact intended to be fully watched first. That's just impossible as the show was running alongside the game; the last episode aired just before the last game.
The show was not intended to make you want to play the game but rather unravel how things got to what happens in the game by going back and forth inbetween game releases.
Interesting. I disagree (imagine that on the interwebs). I kind of loved the spacey, slow, abstractness of it all. It was similar to a Stephen King novel in how the story unraveled. By the end I think a viewer either has the patience to "get it," or they don't. The story is a maturation story. Haseo comes into the game unsure of himself, questioning everything and everyone, tho, in a timid or reticent manner. He trusts no one but can't deny his curiosity. By the end, there's confidence to him and not just the defensive aloofness he used as a crutch. Tabby matures too in a sort of complimentary way. It's all gradual and that's the bit I really liked. The reason is that it felt more real, as if I was existing in that MMO. IDK how many people in this comment section have played MMO's for extensive periods, but it is a very slow, gradual discovery of self that occurs over the months or maybe years. A player goes in full of questions, understanding nothing, but slowly they learn, grow, and become confident in their skills, and in who they are as a person. It's a maturation process, and that is what this anime was after. I don't know that it was the best execution, but I still enjoyed it. I definitely enjoy the gaming attributes like PC's switching avatars, and it being a bizarre experience knowing a person but not recognizing them. I also like some of the music, with one key song standing out to me.
Is this a 10/10 anime? No. Is it terrible? No. Is it for everyone? No. There has to be some appreciation for the abstract, and a willingness to abide a more slow, character-driven story in order to get into this one. Personally, I enjoyed hanging out in the world, and gimmicks or snazzy illustrations would detract from it.
The games pretty much answer all the questions you had. So yeah, standalone, this sucks hard...even with the games, it's not that great, but it does set up stuff in the games pretty nicely.
Shouldn't the next one you review be the .hack//G.U. Trilogy movie next?
p.s. It crams the story of 3 games into a hour and a half movie, so you know it will have amazing pacing!
And sadly they change stuff from the three games though
Yea funny thing about Haseo is that he's actually Sora from .hack sign. Yea I was honestly shocked when I found out. I also agree with everything in this review, that anime was full on trash. The games are awesome though.
Is he I tough he got stuck in game in turn into like sentinel on the game
Is he I tough he got stuck in game in turn into like sentinel on the game
@@RUDEST99 what happens to him was covered in the .hack games that followed kite. He was taken over by Skeith, and when Kite defeated him he was released and woke up. That's why Haseo has Skeith as his Avatar. In fact all the Epitaph users came in contact with their avatars before they learned to use their power. Look up the recap that explains the complete timeline of the .hack series, you'll be shocked how connected everything is.
I literally love how funny you are hahahah I die at every single video hahha
Roots basically expects the person to play the game immediately after watching the anime. The games explain all the questions you have from this review. There is also a movie adaptation of the games but it’s one movie that crams in three games into an hour and a half.
I know you're not very big on shonen anime, but i would love to hear your opinon on My Hero Acadamia.
Put simply just play the G.U. Remaster instead. There is literally a 5 minute cutscene after the time skip in the game that explains everything that happens in Roots. Also almost every character, besides some of the main cast, in this show are pointless to the games. Haseo is also very unlikable in this anime whereas the game's he's got a very well done character arc.
It really helps to play the games first and then watch roots. Then you’d find out that [SPOILERS] Ovan is trying to revive his comatose sister who was attacked by a mysterious computer anomaly called AIDA. The only problem is that AIDA is extremely resilient and can’t just be deleted, so he seeks the Key of the Twilight, a mystical property that can obliterate AIDA entirely. Ovan soon finds that to bring the Key of Twilight into existence, the first epitaph (Named “Skeith: The Terror of Death”) from the Epitaph of Twilight needs to “devour” the other seven, with “Corbenik: The Rebirth” being the last. And he also finds out that he is actually The Rebirth and that Haseo is the Terror of Death. So everything beyond that point is Ovan trying to guide Haseo to battle the other epitaphs to factory reset the internet and bring his sister back.
Lmaooo I can't stop 😂🤣this whole episode was just enjoyable to watch 👍👍
Absolutely agree. Hack is a prime example why you don't split your franchise across different media. Splitting it among anime and platform-exclusive game is just stupid. Nier/Drakengard has exact same problem and thats why Nier/Drakengard franchise are going nowhere.
I swear the start of this anime was like pulling freakin TEETH.
And I remember seeing this anime a couple times on a early Saturday morning on Cartoon Network because I was excited to see a cool looking anime at that time and I had crap internet and buying anime online wasnt in the cards.
Tried to watch it again on Hulu but man it feels like hitting up a back alley Dentist. Just finished Ep 2 there and I think thats about it, playing some Dragon Quest XI: S.
7864th petition to watch HxH
Also I think anime based off games have similar problems to movies based off games. Tho at least anime have the exaggerated expressions and longer run time on its side
ROOTS, crappy prequel anime to a pretty solid game trilogy.
Shadow ACS, after you finish with the .hack trilogy reviews, would you consider doing an analysis on Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie 3: Rebellion, or Sanrio Dashi?
You clearly was not in right space of mind for this anime. Yes nothing basically happens but the small things like haseo going mad because a crush and hunting a “glitch” is kinda cool imo. I love this anime and I think this genre is really niche and probably not what you enjoy watching and that’s okay, but don’t tell people to not watch something when you actually don’t know if they would enjoy this or not. I know this vid is old but just saw it now, I actually never knew this was a prequel to a game. Might try it😅
You're better off just skipping this and jumping into the G U games or watching the GU Trilogy movie. I adore the dot hack video games and while I do like some of the anime connected to them most don't do the games the Justice they deserve and my recommendation is always to play the games if you get the chance.
I only had Kite and Black Rose in Project X Zone as part of a team from the party on a ds strategy rpg that I got tired of playing and sold to CeX years ago. The Fire Emblem 3ds games which I still play now ended up being a better strategy rpg series for me.
Could you please review Durarara?
He seems to have, forgot his twin blades ###
I played gu roots so I was exited to watch the anime man I had time getting thru it was kinda boring for a while. Haseo only really acknowledges shio Making the guild irrelevant.Especially since the cat girl is. secret character in one the later gu games. Hopefully shadowacs does the type moon lunar legend anime review
"its about as exciting as watching ppl play video games in real life" oh so like one of the most popular websites in the word? TWITCH LOL
Imagine twitch without the commentators though.
And the answers for ovans arm are in the gu games and not in the show then
ShadowACS I am going give u a spoiler sign to gu you know sora the player killer is actually haseo in gu
This is the most boring anime I had to force myself to watch, and it was because I wanted to know more lore on the game I was playing.
Yet again I haven't played these games either.
100% agree, Roots is trash
So.... Is it worse than DearS?
So far I haven't seen anything that is.
No, that's not a challenge.
ShadowACS Lol I had to ask 😆
I've seen something worse than DearS. It deserves no attention, so I won't even mention it's name, BUT, it was so horrendously bad, that I gave it up in absolute disgust in one episode, and never looked back.
Sweetie, I hate to break it to you but....I think I may have found something
I don't know the name but I might know what you mean