A review by blessa
.hack//AI buster by Tatsuya Hamazaki

4.0

wow, what a trip down memory lane. i never played the video game portion of the franchise (ironically), but voraciously consumed the manga, anime, and novels growing up; i can and do 100% attribute my early interest in cyberpunk, constructed mythologies in digital world-building, and AI technology particularly to the series. so, a goal of mine this year was to revisit all of the .hack//another birth light novels (tall order, given that none of the .hack novelizations are available online), and when i found AI buster at a used book shop this past weekend, couldn't resist branching out. so glad i did--not only are the intermittent illustrations are utterly charming, but the lore of the .hack universe it expands upon is so wonderful and compelling. if you're looking for 'serious' storytelling in the vein of a traditional novel, look elsewhere--these books are ultimately intended to be companions to the video game series (and tie-in anime+manga), but wow, they are so immersive. so glad to have rediscovered AI buster and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel i impulsively ordered off of ebay earlier (: what a gem.