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The new .hack AI Buster series. Heard of it yet?


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shugo.hack



Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:53 am Reply with quote
Hey I just got the new .hack//AI Buster Manga book. Has anyone else gotten it or heard of it or am I the only one so far? It's a good book so far but alittle confusing since I'm so used to the old manga style of reading it back-front style here in the USA. And now its in the normal book style of front-back.
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hagakure|returns



Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 407
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:53 pm Reply with quote
shugo.hack wrote:
Hey I just got the new .hack//AI Buster Manga book. Has anyone else gotten it or heard of it or am I the only one so far? It's a good book so far but alittle confusing since I'm so used to the old manga style of reading it back-front style here in the USA. And now its in the normal book style of front-back.


Did you really get the book? .hack//AI Buster isn't a manga. It's a novel which contain text and that's the reason why it's you read it left to right. Many people already got their manga, just check out amazon for review.
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 25 Oct 2003
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Location: Wales
PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:22 pm Reply with quote
I don't believe it is a series, just a single novel. Japanese novels are written vertically and read top-to-bottom, right-to left, so the books are also read right-to-left. English is left to right therefore so are the English novels. Japanese books that use mainly horizontal text would be made left-to-right also.
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Dilandau



Joined: 06 Jan 2004
Posts: 525
Location: Tea House
PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:28 pm Reply with quote
.hack//AI Buster is indeed a novel, available from tokyopop (like the Slayers novels), and like most all novels that are related to anime/manga, it does contain pictures - but not many.

It is a series, but #1 is the only one available right now. Tokypop has the following info for volume #2 being released next year:

$7.99
ISBN: 1-59816-407-4
Item #: TPBK-16407
Street Date: 02.07.06
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Shiroi Hane
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Joined: 25 Oct 2003
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Location: Wales
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:35 pm Reply with quote
Ah, I had no idea there was more than one, thanks.
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BoygetsfireD



Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 475
Location: earth
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:30 pm Reply with quote
whats this one about?
Is it the sequel to //legends of the twilight, or something?
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Dranxis



Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 591
Location: Ohtori Academy
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:11 pm Reply with quote
It's supposed to be a prequel to .hack//SIGN from what I've read. I'll probably be picking it up, since I just saw the ending to .hack//SIGN (missed the ending on its run on CN, and just got the box set) and am now craving more dot-hackiness. I've yet to play the videogames, though. Bad me. Anime catgrin + sweatdrop
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Aromatic Grass



Joined: 31 Dec 2003
Posts: 2424
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:22 pm Reply with quote
If there's more than one (the other being a sequel), then it would have to be before //SIGN. It wouldn't skip from the past to after //Legend.
Dranxis, if you like .hack (yay!), then I definitely recommend the novel(s). It really pays off story-wise once you see/read/play everything. If you see/read/play it all out of order, it still makes sense. But if anyone wants to know the order, the novel(s) come first, then //SIGN, the games plus //Liminality and //Unison, then the //Legend book and anime series. As I recall, there's at least two more games coming out.
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Dranxis



Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 591
Location: Ohtori Academy
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 6:27 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, I'll definetly be picking up the novels then, since I have a thing about experiencing series in order. I read the Twilight manga, and while I still basically got the story, the whole "Dot hackers" thing and the references to the videogames and their aftermath had me confused. So I'll probably re-read it once I've gotten through the novels and videogames.

There'll be three novels in total, right?
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Aromatic Grass



Joined: 31 Dec 2003
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 6:48 pm Reply with quote
The problem is that, in my opinion, most of the story takes place during the video games. A lot of .hack fans probably don't like playing games, especially when they're that repetitive. Depending on how you play, it could take forever (it was hard for me to get through one of the four games), or it could be really short. It depends on if you're good at repetitive RPGs and really care about the game enough.
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Dranxis



Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 591
Location: Ohtori Academy
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:19 pm Reply with quote
I like videogames, but I've been avoiding the .hack ones because I really suck at RPG'.s I'm okay when I get going, it's learning the battle system and extensive controls that turns me off. I like to just pick up a game and play: it's a form of relaxation for me. But I think that if I liked them enough, and if the story was that good, then I could make it through the games.
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Dilandau



Joined: 06 Jan 2004
Posts: 525
Location: Tea House
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 10:39 pm Reply with quote
Actually there is another way to get the game story without playing the RPG's. Its called .hack//Another Birth. Its a really cool, all colour, half digital/half traditional style manga version of the games. Unfortunately I don't think its completed yet, and obviously not available here. I used to be an admin for a .hack//DUSK site, but that was years ago, so I can't remember the Japanese sites anymore (the original cyberconnect2 site). In anycase, here are a few links to production pictures that I have in photobucket:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Boogiepop/Dusk/top19.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Boogiepop/Dusk/top21.jpg
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:23 pm Reply with quote
After reading it and writing a review of it (expect to see it posted early next week), I can confirm that AI Buster is a prequel to //SIGN. It slightly foreshadows some of the events of //SIGN and involves some of the peripheral characters of //SIGN, most notably Balmung. Has a couple of nice plot twists, too.

It's a very quick read, though, so if you're looking for something to keep you busy for several hours then you might want to consider having a second book along.
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outlawwolf



Joined: 25 Dec 2004
Posts: 645
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 6:54 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
As I recall, there's at least two more games coming out.


I heard about the 2 new games as well but I don't think they have anything to do with the original .hack stories. I think their supposed to be a new original story. And 1 of them might be in mmorpg form.
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Aromatic Grass



Joined: 31 Dec 2003
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Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:21 pm Reply with quote
outlawwolf wrote:
Quote:
As I recall, there's at least two more games coming out.


I heard about the 2 new games as well but I don't think they have anything to do with the original .hack stories. I think their supposed to be a new original story. And 1 of them might be in mmorpg form.


.hack//Fragment is supposedly the MMORPG. There's also .hack//G.U., which is quite different from the other games. I can't remember if it's before or after the rest of the series, but I know the main problem is focused on Player Killers. The main character...looks kind of lame...and there's another character that joins you who looks a lot like Kite (but he's not Kite).
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