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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is Light and What is Shadow, September 9, 2003
This review is from: .hack//SIGN - Omnipotence (Vol. 4) with Soundtrack (DVD)
Each of the pieces of the .hack bundle presents a different vision of both the real world and its imaginary counterpart - The World. Like Rashomon, they offer use a set of varying viewpoints and challenge us to form our own opinion. In this, the video series, the characters believe that a secret artifact, the Key of the Twilight, hold the means of solving the mysteries of the virtual universe. For Tsukasa, who is trapped in the game while his body lies comatose, it is the promise of a return to a normal life. For others, the key spells power, or wealth. But in a sense, it is really a red herring, distracting the viewer from the more subtle dramatic interplay taking place among the characters. For this series isn't really about the game, but those who play it. For some it has come to replace live, and for others it is only a game they play for fun. Who is right? - we are offered only vague signs and portents to make our own decision. In this set of episodes the real story is the unfolding and development of two characters that previously held lesser roles - BT and Subaru. BT's avatar it one of cold, self-centered sensuality - perhaps, though, it hides a deep neediness and loneliness. Confronted with Sora, who only sees other players as tools, she finds a reflection of herself - and is disquieted by it. Subaru, however, takes her place as one of the heroines of the story as her feelings for Tsukasa put her in direct conflict with many of the Crimson Knights. The results appear disastrous, but in the end we are given a flash of understanding about both her own bravery and what underlies it. We are reminded vividly for the second time that The World is only a reflection of the characters' realities. Is there a tragedy coming? Or transformation and healing? For now we are only given the delicate underpinnings of an increasingly complex story. When this series started I expected a pleasant presentation of adventures in a virtual role playing game. But it has become much more - sneaking up on the audience and engaging their vision.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
.hack//sign is a good series, August 16, 2003
A Kid's Review
This review is from: .hack//SIGN - Omnipotence (Vol. 4) with Soundtrack (DVD)
.hack//sign is a very creative series. With 4 video games, and 26 episodes of //sign, and several of //dusk (unreleased in America to my knowledge), it's an expansive series. This collection of episodes (15-18) has nothing particularly spectacular. Warning, this series is not fast-paced. If you like action, get Trigun, or Neon Genesis Evangelion. But for those who love a deep and intricate storyline that will captivate you, get into .hack//sign.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quiet interlude, April 29, 2004
This review is from: .hack//SIGN - Omnipotence (Vol. 4) with Soundtrack (DVD)
Containing some of the series' best-scripted episodes, this whole volume is proof that SIGN is at it's best during quiet moments when we learn more about the characters. After the intense cliffhanger of the last volume is resolved, things slow down a little. It's the calm before the storm as the next volume will start heading the party towards it's inevitable confrontation with The Voice tormenting Tsukasa.
Tsukasa himself takes a backburner to some extent once we find out what has happened to him, as these episodes are largely devoted to character studies of the two women of the party - B.T. and Subaru. As the DVD jacket suggests, Crim also plays a large role, his relationships with the women acting as a catalyst for revealations about them.
Crim is a decidedly good man, but he's only human like everyone else. In this volume, we find out that offscreen he's committed the faux pas of giving B.T. mixed signals by meeting with her in the real world in spite of the fact that he already knows he's not going to return her blatant interest in him. This leads to an uncomfortable scene in which he's forced to gently but firmly refuse to see her again offline, leaving a humiliated B.T. to struggle between any loyalty she owes Bear and her jealousy of Subaru, who she knows has a bond with Crim that she never will.
Subaru, meanwhile, pays for her championship of Tsukasa as she watches the Crimson Knights disband before her eyes, throwing her into The World as most players know it for the first time. At first Crim is there to protect her, thoroughly enjoying the knight in shining armour act, but in a case of really lousy timing his job forces him to leave again while she's still overwhelmed. All he can do is try as best he can to lovingly prepare his friend for what he knows she has facing her in his absence. One of the most memorable sequences in the series, Subaru's first day in The World on her own is both sad and inspiring, including a glimpse of her in the real world as she's comforted by an empathetic Tsukasa that explains her aversion to combat and why she doesn't just stay offline while Crim's away.
Incredibly deep and nuanced, Sign just keeps getting better and better.
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