.hack//Sign
Alternate Titles: None
Original Japanese Release Date: 2002
Episode Length/Run-time: 26
Summary:
A popular MMORPG game in which players literally plug their minds in to play has taken the country by storm. Known as “The World” it possess all the familiarities of any modern MMO as we know it. However, something strange has begun to occur, people in the real world are falling into mysterious comas as their avatars remain logged into the game. What are the mysteries of “The World?” And what really happens if you die in game while your body is in a coma?
Review:
.hack//sign is the first contributor to the .hack series, yep this is where everything started from. It was released in 2002 from the studio Bee Train. It’s 26 episodes long, however that is by no means the full extent of the story. It ran on Cartoon Network for a while and this was my first exposure to the world of .hack//sign.
I have to say this anime was one I really enjoyed. At the time of watching this anime this was such a fresh concept to me. Not as mentally jacked as something like Lain which also tackles the virtual world but an enjoyable romp through a fantasy MMORPG. I think to understand the charm of this game you have to understand when it came out. World of Warcraft was announced in 2001, just before this game, Final Fantasy XI was released the same year just a month before. The early 2000s were practically the birth of MMOs as we’ve known them for the next decade and this game just capitalized on this budding fascination and love for these fantasy realms.
Almost 100% of .hack//sign takes place in the game world where people live and interact through their avatars. The World is like part D&D and part Man in the Machine. And, I literally mean “The World” that’s what this MMO is called and in a way it holds an eerie symbolism. Characters in the anime log into the game by hooking up themselves into a machine like setup where they are logged in so that they control the characters with their minds. The story is told from the perspective of Tsukasa, who is endlessly confused and seems to be at the center of things without actually having much going on. There’s a lot of dialogue in the series which ends up slowing down the show, especially because Tsukasa doesn’t seem to know much of anything. What ends being the crux of the show is when players begin to go into mysterious comas in the real world while remaining logged into “The World.” Which is shrouded in mystery and suspicions, specifically with the unknown of what happens in the real world if you die in the game. As the story continues the characters learn the secrets of the world through heavy dialogue, something you may not expect in the series and it ends up generally slowing things down and get boring.
However, the animation is good, especially for its time, and the music is fantastic. The key problem with this series is it was built to have the viewer watch the anime, read the manga AND play the FOUR video games. So unless you’re really in love with it you’re not going to get the full ending, just enough to give a conclusion to the series.
It’s definitely above average for its originality, story line, atmosphere, music and animation. But the execution by dialogue driven (be it to save money or uncertainty in direction on the producer’s part) ends up slowing down to the point of dull what could be a great anime. Plus, it seems too much to ask the viewer to invest their time in the anime, four games (which really aren’t that good), and the manga. Chiaki’s recommendation: If you like the anime, check out the game, but if you really get drawn into the story expect it to demand a lot from you.
[starrater]