.hack//AI buster 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Tatsuya Hamazaki (Author), Rei Izumi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2005

AI Buster, the prequel to .hack follows the avatar Albireo, as he tries to discover why The World -- the most advanced game ever created is in danger of falling apart .

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tokyopop (August 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595328696
• ISBN-13: 978-1595328694
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Science & Technology > Computers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great prequel to the .hack story., October 6, 2005

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: .hack//AI buster 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

This novel is a prequel to the .hack anime, games, and manga. It is set shortly before the anime, Sign, and tells the story of Albireo, a player in very popular online role-playing game The World, and the mysterious AI girl he encounters in a dungeon.

Albireo is a solo adventurer in The World -- he is proud to have gotten his character to a high level playing on his own. One day while playing the game, he encounters a silent little girl in red, Lycoris, who is a NPC (non-player character, or AI). Meeting her activates an event that he is determined to finish. Shortly after, he runs into an annoying newbie player, Hokuto, who knows nothing about the right way to play the game. Alibreo is desperate to get rid of Hokuto, but she blackmails him into playing with her. So Albireo is forced to try to complete the Lycoris event with annoying Hokuto following him around. Along the way he uncovers some surprising truths about how The World really works.

As a fan of the other .hack stories (the games, animes, and manga), I was very glad to see this novel translated into English. It gives a more detailed backstory for the creation of The World and helps set the scene for the events that take place in the later stories. I'd highly recommend this novel to all .hack fans, and if you're new to The World, this is a great book to start with.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars .hack//Forever, September 3, 2005

By 

Hagaren Otaku - See all my reviews

This review is from: .hack//AI buster 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

This story takes place before all the other .hack//'s and gives a bit of insight into the .hack// world. Albeiro, the main character, is a member of a group that hunts down wandering A.I.'s. So, in accordance with his job, he "deletes" the A.I., only to find that it/she has returned to "life". Who exactly is "Lycoris" and what does she have to do with Aura?
You know you want to read this. It's a great story, and is in a written novel format. THAT MEANS IT'S NOT BRIMMING WITH PICTURES. However, Rei Izumi has done a couple of wonderful illustrations of Lycoris at the beginning of chapters, so it's still reminiscent of .hack//Legend's artwork.
I'd recommend this book to people that have already gone through .hack//SIGN and .hack//Legend of the Twilight. Even better if you watched Liminality and played the games. You'll understand what they're talking about if you do.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, yet powerful, September 4, 2005

By 

I am "Machii" (Anywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: .hack//AI buster 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

This book is a very simple written book. Nothing overly the top fancy, just a book you could imagine sitting down with a cup of coffee or whatever & reading (which is what I did).

The cover is beautiful enough, but after seeing the story on the inside, You learn to appriciate it more. I don't want to say to much, but I will say that reading this, made me cry at the end. It was amazing & it touched my heart & it is just an awesome book to read. I know I will read it many more times to come. (And probably cry each time)