Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 4, 2002 to Sep 26, 2002
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.281 (scored by 27815 users)
Ranked: #19222
Popularity: #188
Members: 46,679
Favorites: 610 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
adventure drama fantasy game |
SynopsisA young wavemaster, only known by the alias of Tsukasa, wakes up in an MMORPG called The World, with slight amnesia. He does not know what he has previously done before he woke up. In The World, he is suspected to be a hacker of the Crimson Knights, as he was seen accompanying a tweaked character in the form of a cat. Unable to log out from the game, he wanders around looking for answers, avoiding the knights and other players he meets along the way.
As Tsukasa explores The World, he stumbles upon a magical item that takes the form of a 'guardian', which promises him protection from all harm. Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights, along with several other players who became acquainted with Tsukasa, set out to investigate why Tsukasa is unable to log out, and attempt to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets out of hand.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] |
Related AnimeSequel: .hack//Legend of the Twilight, .hack//Roots, .hack//Intermezzo, .hack//Unison
Alternative setting: .hack//Liminality
Side story: .hack//Gift
Other: .hack//Quantum, .hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Arowind91
48 of 67 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
To the many people who play them, video games, can be a form of escapism from the real world. What could be more stress relieving than diving into a fantasy world where you assume the role of the character in the game? It sounds very tempting but if one should stay too long in the virtual world you could lose yourself in it with no way to return to the real world. In the worst case scenario you may forget which world is real and which is fake.
That is the premise of .Hack//Sign. .Hack//Sign is a part of the .Hack series which surrounds the MMORPG called “The World” and the different characters who find the mysteries surrounding this virtual land.
.Hack//Sign follows the story of Tsukasa, a Wavemaster (Spell caster) in “The World”, who suddenly wakes up in a dark dungeon with no recollection of how he got there and what he was doing prior to his collapse. While trying to gather his bearings a female Heavy Blade (sword wielder) by the name of Mimiru passes by and strikes a conversation with him. To her surprise Tsukasa instantly warps back to the town leaving her behind. It’s while he is in town that Tsukasa realizes that he can’t log out of “The World”. He is trapped in the virtual world with no way to get back to reality.
If your thinking this will be an action packed show with monster fighting and adventuring you would be mostly wrong. While there is small tidbits of fighting and adventuring this show is very slow paced and mostly revolves around Tsukasa and the people he interacts with. .Hack//Sign also has noticeable dark elements to it especially when the real world is involved. The idea of escapism is really brought out when you see the character’s real life counterparts and the struggles they go through. But that is just a small part as Sign is mostly set in “The World”.
Due to the slow pacing every character in this show has a chance to develop and feel more realistic. “The World” allows characters to express themselves in a way that the real world doesn’t allow. The result of this is that characters are intriguing to watch and thus provide a deep story. However this slow pace does cause most people to drop the show, as the pacing may be a little too slow and sometimes it feels that some scenes drag on. Another problem is the ending which is very abrupt and quick. I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say there is a reason why this is a part of a series of Anime shows and games. Overall the story is solid and enticing.
The animation in .Hack//Sign is a very well done and fits the fantasy setting of “The World”. Every location has its own emotional feel that lends itself well to the slow pace of the show. The uniqueness of each area helps set the tone for the current situation in the Anime, as each area has its own theme and setting that really makes “The World” feel as big as the real world. Tropical forests, barren deserts and frozen wastelands litter the land with vibrancy. While this is true for the virtual world, the real world on the other hand resembles old black and white silent films.
The real world is depicted as bleak and hopeless as text show up to replace verbal sound. This contrast between the vibrant virtual world and bleak real world becomes very important in portraying how “The World” seems to be a perfect escape from real life issues. The character designs are also very well done, since each character has their own design which fit the grander design that “The World” sets up. There are some parts that were a little bit grainy as I would call yet overall the design of this virtual world is truly something to appreciate.
The music and overall sound in .Hack//Sign is where it really sets itself apart from other anime. The opening song Obsession gives off a feeling of trance and emptiness that really fits the mood of .Hack//Sign while the background music has a sense of tranquility and sadness that backs up the visual aspect of the show. The music also has a folklore aspect in a sense that it makes you feel like it’s telling a story or possibly narrating the situation your currently watching. One big plus is the background music with vocals in them. Key of the Twilight is one of the best songs in the soundtrack and really exemplifies how music is able to set the tone of a scene and possibly the show. However there are some points where the music overpowers a certain scene in the show which can ruin the mood but it rarely happens. So my advice is to pay attention the music as it can really pull you into the story and set the mood.
Overall .Hack//Sign is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. The story of escapism gone wrong will leave you wondering if this could happen to you. The animation is compelling and imaginative while the music really sets the emotional tone of the show. I must warn you again that if you hate slow paced shows or want some action then steer clear of this show but for those who want a good mystery with a fantasy setting then.Hack// Sign is for you. read more
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Mashu
120 of 184 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
First off I'd like to say that it's a hate-it-or-love-it-anime, I do respect people that don't like .Hack//Sign, But I don't respect people who don't have any arguments. This review is based on personal positive exeriences.
I'll spare you all the joy and pleasure that .Hack//Sign brought me... till the end.
Alright, before I start writing this review there are is one word that is in need to said;
' EPIC'
Alright, that's all for now.
To begin I'd like to ask you to read the story at the top of the page.
Are you done?Then lets move on.
The story of .Hack//Sign is boring, there is almost no action,there's no fanservice and it doesn't make fast progress. That's the view on .hack//Sign that most people have, they are correct, but then, you are not enjoying it.
.Hack//Sign, The story:
+ It's detailed
- It doesn't make fast progress (+ But if that's your opinion, you're not enjoying the story itself)
Then, we have the art... beautiful scenery's, great character designs and much more, only thing is that some movements are not the best, but that's nothing compared to the character designs themself.
+ Beautiful scenery
+ Great and original character designs
- Some slight movement mistakes
Then we have the Sound, if there was an option to give it more then a ten out of ten, then I would choose it. Music like you have never heard before, Yuki kajiura, in my opinion she may compare herself to Mozart, Beethoven and more of them. No, .Hack//Sign's music isn't worth a ten only because of its music, the sounds of the surounding and scenery's are great too. Almost each time you play a scene again, you can discover new sounds, like the wind, which blows trough the grass or some other background noices.
+ Yuki Kajiura's music(MORE THAN 50 TRACKS!!!)
+ The background
Characters of .Hack//Sign
Emotions, double personalities, online and offline, trying to be someone you aren't... Everything you could wish for is available. Nothing less.
+ Emotions
+ Double personalities, offline and online
+ Characters can make progress, unlike most of the anime made today
Personal Enjoyment
I could write pages of information which is usseless to everybody, except for me.
But I won't, here are all the pages in short:
.Hack//Sign brought me the music of Yuki Kajiura, Is she an angel from heaven or something? Her music is a passage to heaven, believe me.
The story is epic, not a stereotype battle between good and evil. (Almost Forgot the fact i may not spoil X_X )
So, in shorter than short itself:
+ Hack//Sign
+ EPIC read more
Recommendations
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There's a similar atmosphere in both of these animes - at the same time tense and playful. Both stories drop you into the middle of things and give you one piece of the puzzle at a time, as well as having a similar trio of main characters. There's a certain darkness in the background in both; a sinister something which we only catch glimpses of at a time, but which moves behind the scenes and may have power for either good or evil.
Absolutely different stories and worlds. But when I was watching Pandora Hearts it strongly reminded me .hack//... Both have very beautiful music and it creates very similar deep atmosphere ^_^
The most obvious resemblance is their music composer, Yuki Kajiura. The musical style she uses in both anime are very similar, dominated by emotional piano pieces, violin solos, techno beats and haunting vocals.
The general premises of the two anime are also similar: young ineffectual boy encounters disaster and is thrown into a foreign world, gains a unique power, struggles with his sense of identity and his acceptance of his existence itself, learns to be more courageous through the course of the story, develops an attachment to female protagonist, etc.
Both anime also have a pervading atmosphere of unreality (protagonists protect themselves through denial), fear, and angstiness, while almost every character has a hidden dark background, uncertain motives, crippling weakness, etc.
Both animes feature some beautiful and surreal scenery and have a very similar soundtrack. Also, both of them feature a mysterious girl with a strong, complex connection with the main character. If you like one you wont regret trying out the other.
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.hack//SIGN is about people getting stuck in an MMORPG video game where as Amatsuki is about people getting stuck in a virtual reality Japaneses history machine and sent to Japan's past. Both have an interesting story but have very close similarity's. Amatsuki is very slow at the start but begins to pickup as characters and plot are introduced.
It has the similar feel of drama on a part of life. It has a lot of talking and understand each other's emotions and somewhat of their background. It has a little bit of action every now and then.
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Opening Theme"Obsession" by See-Saw
Ending Theme"Yasashii Yoake (優しい夜明け)" by See-Saw
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Related Clubsa.w.e. ☜♡☞, AnimeWorld, Mascots, Secret Identity, Get Your Quota! For MAL Claims Clubs, The Noble Heroines, Random Cards Club (R.C.C), ShadowAlex Anime Room, Shinichiro Miki Fanclub, ShadowAlex Anime Room, Bandai Entertainment, Purple Eyes Fanclub, .Hack [The Wolrd] R:3, .Hack Universe, WE ROCK!!!!, ~Rie Tanaka Fan club~, Justice or InJustice?!, Aironic's Club for the Underrated, Emo Characters Club (Claim is available), MAL RewriteZoki land. (CHECK THE FORUM HERE), Mimiru Fanclub, OtAku-sb's Anime FC, Dark Fashion FC, F*CK YOU, HOLLAND, Into Another World Anime & Manga, Game Forum, Polski FC Bohaterek Walczących Bronią , The Otaku Underground, Maaya Sakamoto fanclub, Claim an winged character, .Hack // ROLEPLAY, Badass Chicks, .hackers, .hack//FAN Club, Ultimate Heroine, Existentialism, Anime Dimenzija, A- N.O.T.E, Purple and Blue Haired Characters, Broken Wings, Yuki Kajiura Fan Club, .hack//G.U. vol 1-3,roots,4koma,sign,conglomerate, Anime Princesses Club , Claim a Soundtrack Club!, Cyberpunk Club, Random Anime & Manga Club, Anime Drama Club, Anime/Manga Sanctuary, Machines and Cyborgs, Dot Hackers, The Super Cosplay War Ultra Fanclub, [The World].r2., !~~tsubasalover's Friendships~~!, Bee Train, To Be Continued: The Anime/Manga Connection, A-20 Fanclub - 'YOU LOOK STRONG', Tsukasa fanclub (MMORPG addicts anonymous), AMV Makers Society, Watch With Me, Anime Madness, Armitage's Dimension Radio, Cards Collectors Club [.CCC.], .Hack//ECHO, Vampires, Clones, Magiciancs, Demon, Angels Gallors, Eleventy Billionth Club, Photoshop ANIME FUN Club, ShadowAlex Anime Room, tHE .HACK oF tHE wORLD, Actores y actrices de doblaje de Latinoamérica / Latin spanish seiyuu, ~* SAIGA MITSUKI FANS *~, A.S.A (Adiktus sa Anime), English Dub Watchers, Claim an Anime Studio Club! , ***Legend of Anime***, Anime/Manga Discussion , Crispin Freeman Fan Club, Akatsuki Otaku Club, ✰ Kawaii Otaku Clan ✰, Green Haired Anime Characters, Random Club Dollars, Anime/Manga Discussion , Swordsmen/women Club, ~The Yuki Kajiura Fanclub~, vampireproductions studio, JaPaNeSe AdDiCtS, .hack//fan, ~ Takai's LEAGUE ~, HOLol, This Character is NOT Emo!!, Fantasy Anime Club! see all
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