.hack//Roots, Vol. 2 Reviews

The Twilight Brigade continues its search for the Virus Cores, a mysterious item not included in the official game specs. They believe they need to collect them before they can find out the coveted Key of the Twilight. Meanwhile their rival Guild, TaN, bears down on them harder using their secret service led by a dangerous player Killer Ender. Haseo comes up with a clue on how to use the Virus Cores in one of the Lost Grounds. As their leader Ovan decides to take action, even Gord and Bset, who left the guild in disappointment, join them again and fight against the enemy warriors. Little do they know, however, that Naobi, the TaN's mastermind, is intriguing to set them up in a trap so that he can achieve his own sinister goal. Genre: Action/ Drama/ Sci-Fi.

Director Koichi Mashimo doesn't waste time with introductions in .hack//Roots, the third broadcast series based on the PlayStation 2 game .hack//G.U.: he plunges right into the action. The members of Ovan's Twilight Brigade search for the crystalline Virus Cores that may lead them to the Key of the Twilight. But the sinister TaN Guild watches their actions: Naobi, the ruthless, leonine ruler of TaN, is pursuing Ovan for his personal ends. As a complex battle of wits unfolds, signs of trouble multiply in the role-playing game known as the World. The number of Lost Grounds, where conventional rules don't apply, increases and mysterious, rune-like scars appear in the landscape. The scars transport characters in ways that are impossible under the laws of the game. Mashimo keeps the dialogue to a minimum, telling much of the story through the handsome visuals and the eclectic score that ranges from Mozart arias and Praetorius-like dances to folk music and rock. The unfolding questions and mysteries make .hack//Roots a worthy successor to the two previous series in this engaging continuity. (Rated 13 and older: violence) --Charles Solomon MPN: BAND22241D - UPC: 669198222412