dot hack//roots

[Orphen]

I always wondered why Shugo always lost a tooth in that series. I guess it was to be comical.

Right you are.

Liminality is only 4 45 minute episodes.

Roots has more action than sign, without the half-assed comedy of LOTB. And the way it pertains to the game is that in the prologue of .hack//GU, an 8 month gap is mentioned between Haseo "main character" being Level 1, and being Level 133. Roots elaborates on the goings on in that gap, which also gives alot of insight to the game.