Review Statistics

Times Read

1,362

Comments

2

Reviews

Tv

Plot Synopsis

In a not-so-distant future, a popular game hits the nations. Millions of users join this role-playing game filled with monsters to slay, treasure to recover, and a place to meet new people. Welcome to the World.

A young Wavemaster called Tsukasa one day wakes up in this strange place. He does not know who he is, what he is doing here, and lest of all how he got here. When he tries to log out, he realises he cannot do so. In the World, if a player dies, they restart where they last saved. For Tsukasa, however, it is a whole different game. If he dies in the World, he will die and will not be able to re-start the game. Luckily, he meets some friends along the way, and together they travel the World hoping to find the legendary "Key of the Twilight" as well as what is going on behind Tsukasa's past.

Will Tsukasa ever get out of the World, or will he be trapped forever?

By: daos

Story & Characters

In year 2007, internet network recovers from a massive computer virus attack called "Pluto Kiss." The first and most popular MMORPG is created soon after its recovery called "The World."

Enter Tsukasa, "The World" user who suddenly find himself stuck in the fantastic world of magic and myths. Unable to make use of his real body, he wonders aimlessly around "The World" with an amnesia that prevents him from understanding what kind of chain of event led him to this state. His only clue is the mysterious girl who sleeps in an unknown part of the map of "The World," and the supernatural being that grants him a guardian that prevents him from being harmed by the system administation, who believe that Tsukasa holds a link to the hackers that are sabotaging the game with its strange occurences.

Tsukasa must enlist help of many other users of "The World" in order to discover his true self in the real world and therefore escape the game that traps his body in real life. "The World" is just more than a game, and Tsukasa and his newfound friends must find a way to save not only Tsukasa, but the future of "The World."

Rating

7 (above average)

Art

The man behind the character design of .hack series is none other than the great Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the man behind the revolutionary anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The character design is in accordance to the game series .hack for Playstation 2, which features characters in exotic clothing and armor. The setting of .hack//SIGN is also something that comes from one's imagination, in which it includes an intricate dugeon design, lively market, and gruesome and dark field of decay.

There are also ample amount of special effect iin .hack//SIGN, such as ana amazing CG integration to the anime, such as the gateway portal. All in all, .hack//SIGN has a solid foundation for the factors that makes an appeasing aesthetics of an anime.

Rating

9 (very good)

Sound

The soundtrack, which comes in three different origional soundtrack, is perhaps the stronger part of the anime for those who find the anime dull and not worthwhile. Composed by Yuki Kajiura, the very person responsible for the soundtrack for Noir, Madlax, and other numerous production, .hack//SIGN O.S.T. brings multiple genre of music together and mixes it into a genuinely unique sound, making it almost a genre of its own.

In addition to the excellent soundtrack comes the excellent voice acting. Each characters have distinctive voice that one would usually expect from the outer appearance of the character, and each character has its own flair of speech that makes them memorable (most notably the player killer Sora).

Rating

10 (excellent)

Presentation

Although .hack//SIGN is one of my top ten favorite anime, many viewers do not find this anime interesting in that it lacks action and humor. It is a character-development focused anime whose true role is to introduce the .hack franchise that's been going on for the Playstation game and act as the prelude to the beginning of the game. Despite its seemingly lackluster rating by many viewers, the characters are very memorable, and the storyline contain many twists that make it interesting toward the end.

Many viewers would find this anime not fit for watching over and over again, unless they are a die-hard fans of .hack series, and it is extremely recommended for those who find themselves playing the Playstation game. Although I myself have not played the game, I find that the anime really draws a person in if the person is dedicated enough to focus on the dialogue and the focus of the storyline.

Rating

6 (average)

Final Verdict

7.50 (good)

Reviewed by sammo, 3y 38wk ago