| Type: | TV |
| Length: | 26 episodes |
| Genre: | Adventure |
.hack//SIGN
Summary
.hack//SIGN takes place in the most popular online virtual game "The World." A wave master, Tsukasa, finds himself unable to log out from The World. And he is not in front of a terminal, so it is impossible for him to shut off the game and escape this online world.
Review
.hack//SIGN is a very frustrating show to watch. A lot of the show consists of characters mingling and talking without much actually happening. The positive side is that we get to know the characters really well. The negative side is that the plot moves at a really slow pace and I would sometimes be thinking "get on with it already!" Despite its pace, I think this is an enjoyable series, one that I liked more with each episode.
Tsukasa doesn't say very much and he is a little mysterious. He will often teleport to another part of the server when characters talk to him, which makes him kind of hard to like. Mimiru is a female player who always wants to play with Tsukasa. Bear is an older adult player who hangs around with Mimiru a lot. There is a group called the Crimson Knights who keep the peace in The World. Their leader is the beautiful and modest Subaru, who plays a significant role later in the story.
Mimiru and Bear are trying to find out more information about Tsukasa so they can help him log out. They stumble upon some information about the Key of the Twilight, a secret item rumored to exist somewhere in The World. The characters are constantly meeting up to exchange information they have with each other. Mimiru and Bear believe that if Tsukasa uses the Key of the Twilight he will be able to log out. For the most part, the characters act and have very serious conversations, which isn't how most real people play online games, but I think it works out better that way. The dialogue is smart and interesting at times, but it can also feel like it's needlessly dragging on. I was pretty pleased with the way it ended, despite the fact that some stuff is not explained very clearly.
The show does a good job of making it feel like the characters are in a game. Characters heal after being attacked, teleport, raise animals named "grunts," and occasionally tackle dungeons. I think the show could have handled the action better. There isn't very much at all, because almost every time a fight starts it cuts to another scene. Although it's rare, it does show some very short scenes of characters in the real world, which I think is a nice touch.
The artwork and animation are excellent. It looks slick and stays consistently good in every episode. The music is incredible and helps make some of the slower scenes more bearable. There are several vocal pieces used and most of them are sung in English.
.hack//SIGN is a solid show from start to finish, however the pacing can get annoying. Overall, I thought .hack//SIGN was a satisfying and slightly rewarding series.
Tsukasa doesn't say very much and he is a little mysterious. He will often teleport to another part of the server when characters talk to him, which makes him kind of hard to like. Mimiru is a female player who always wants to play with Tsukasa. Bear is an older adult player who hangs around with Mimiru a lot. There is a group called the Crimson Knights who keep the peace in The World. Their leader is the beautiful and modest Subaru, who plays a significant role later in the story.
Mimiru and Bear are trying to find out more information about Tsukasa so they can help him log out. They stumble upon some information about the Key of the Twilight, a secret item rumored to exist somewhere in The World. The characters are constantly meeting up to exchange information they have with each other. Mimiru and Bear believe that if Tsukasa uses the Key of the Twilight he will be able to log out. For the most part, the characters act and have very serious conversations, which isn't how most real people play online games, but I think it works out better that way. The dialogue is smart and interesting at times, but it can also feel like it's needlessly dragging on. I was pretty pleased with the way it ended, despite the fact that some stuff is not explained very clearly.
The show does a good job of making it feel like the characters are in a game. Characters heal after being attacked, teleport, raise animals named "grunts," and occasionally tackle dungeons. I think the show could have handled the action better. There isn't very much at all, because almost every time a fight starts it cuts to another scene. Although it's rare, it does show some very short scenes of characters in the real world, which I think is a nice touch.
The artwork and animation are excellent. It looks slick and stays consistently good in every episode. The music is incredible and helps make some of the slower scenes more bearable. There are several vocal pieces used and most of them are sung in English.
.hack//SIGN is a solid show from start to finish, however the pacing can get annoying. Overall, I thought .hack//SIGN was a satisfying and slightly rewarding series.
Score:
Written by Marc Frost on
Content 
A little profanity.
Violence
Some fighting and the show does get a little intense at times.
Sex
Some cleavage. It does show the characters clothes sort of dissapearing during a scene in the opening, but it never shows anything.