Customer Reviews

.hack//SIGN - Outcast (Vol. 2) - With CD Soundtrack #2

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

.hack//SIGN is really a love-hate series. You pretty much either love it or hate it. I have to say I'm pretty much on the 'love' side.

One thing about .hack is that the pacing is *VERY* slow. Extremely slow. That fact tends to annoy alot of people. What was 30 min. in real life feels like less than 5 min. in the episode. I'm exaggerating, but even from a .hack lover, it's true.

.hack//SIGN revolves around a boy (or possibly a girl) called Tsukasa. He is in a virtual reality game played by millions called 'The World.' Problems begin to arise when he is unable to log out of the World. Things that are theoretically impossible in the World are possible around him. He is able to retain his senses of touch, smell, taste, etc. Now you must wonder 'Who cares? Who cares if he can still retain his sense of touch, smell, etc.?' The reason it's a big deal is because it is a VIRTUAL REALITY GAME. You are supposed to be UNABLE to reatain those senses. However, he can feel pain and stuff there which makes everyone wonder.... .hack is *VERY* mysterious and can be very confusing at times (I've argued with friends over several points in it. ^^U). You see alot of things in it that make you question and go 'Who's that? What do they do? Why are they here?'

A key point in .hack's composition is the music. The music is insanely awesome. I am NOT exaggerating. Yuki Kajura did a *VERY* good job on the music. The music fits .hack completely and is very well composed. It has a sort of mysterious, yet enchanting and alluring feel to it which fits .hack perfectly.

When people think anime, they think violence, curse words, sometimes nudity, and sometimes even worse things. Dot Hack Sign, however, is a step above all of them. The Dot Hack Sign story is fantastic, and considering that Dot Hack Sign relies wholly upon its story to keep its viewers interested, that's saying quite a lot. People who have become hooked on anime for its violence, action, destruction, and adult content should avoid Dot Hack Sign. There is very, very little action in the series (I've seen all of it, so I know), and it is liable to bore people who are more interested in flashy animation. Dot Hack Sign's story, however, is enthralling. The characters are developed so well, and the story executed so wonderfully, that you find yourself actually caring about what goes on. After watching all of the series, I even found myself caught up in it for several days afterward. It is that sort of story that endears itself to you, so that you'll never forget it. As mentioned before, the story progresses slowly, but you can easily get caught up into it and don't notice. Normal 25-minute episodes seem to stretch for an hour, which is only a bad thing if you have to go to the bathroom. The story spans itself across all of the episodes, and there aren't any "breather" episodes that provide a pause in the story (instead, the writers cleverly wrote an episode or two like that into the story). This provides a very solid story, though you're in trouble if you miss an episode. Overall, this is my favorite anime series out of all that I have seen (and I have seen many), and that is not to disparage anime. In fact, I can safely say that this is my most favorite series of any genre, anime or otherwise.

Recommended to: People who love character development and long, elaborate, and great stories. People who want a great story that catches them and makes them actually care about it and its characters.

Not recommended to: People who like action and violence, and lots of it, people who are looking for traditional Western stories, or people who dislike stories that develop slowly.

The second installment of .hack//sign continues to deepen the mysteries surrounding Tsukasa and his involvement in "The World". More debates arise behind the existance of the Key of Twilight and secret alliances are formed as players try to out do each other in the search.
You will either love it or hate it. The entire "World" is based off of a online fantasy role playing world in which people who play the game from their PC's can wander the "World" and interact with others who are playing (having played many RPG's I can relate to the World). 99% of the anime takes place in the "World" and the art style used in the anime is consistant with that concept.
Tsukasa is different from the other players in the fact that he is trapped inside the game and isn't bound to the same rules and limitations that all the other players are. The other characters in the game all seem to be after him for reasons that may be obvious or obscure, but Tsukasa only wants to left alone.
The pace is intentionaly slow. Which I don't consider bad in the way that it has been done. The players have a mystery to figure out and problems (with-in themselves and between each other)that need to be addressed. I wouldn't call this a action series even though there is action. This series addresses concepts, ideas, and personal issues through the characters interaction with each other. Its a journey of discovery that can't be forced but has to be realized. In this sense I think the slow pacing works well.

The soundtrack that comes with this DVD has a lot of great music. I would have to say that the quality of the music in the animation and on the soundtrack are among the best aspects of the show. Most of it is slow, with a sense of mystery and wonder that is reflected throughout the series.

As a result of questioning Tsukasa while he is held for questioning by the Crimson Knights, Subaru seems to connect with him on some level, but he refuses to trust her. Tsukasa simply wants to be left alone, to hide away. To the frustration of all who would be either friend or enemy to the mysterious wavemaster. Especially for poor Mimiru, who has developed an affection for Tsukasa, but seems unable to elicit any response other than rejection.

In one of the more humorous asides of this DVD, Mimiru becomes determined to wait for him to talk to her, but has no idea how to accomplish it. So Tsukasa hides in a secret land waiting for a mysterious sleeper in white to awaken, while Mimiru waits on a dock for Tsukasa for finally come to her to talk. Theirs is a relationship made for a Pinter play - all efforts to communicate seem to just miss each other.

This complexity underlies the story so far, full of mysteries like the Key of the Twilight that refuse to materialize into something useful. BT starts to work with Sora, a twin sword with a black sense of humor, and Bear finds his family life overlapping into The World. We see more of Tsukasa's past. Far from being a dungeons and dragons story like the game that stands at the center of this series, the characters are the most important part of this series.

For the most part the DVD raises questions rather than provides answers, but this is vital to the continuity, and prevents the overall effect from being episodic. All of the three major parts of .hack (game, series, and OVA) are investigations into an evil that underlies the glittering virtual invention known as the world. But deeper questions of purpose are also raised. Perhaps, as Mia in the game declares, some things are valuable because they are futile.

The animation and graphics in this series continue to be second to those of the OVA included with the game, but are strong for a TV series. Again a CD of the music is includes as an extra. My only issue with that is that several things are fine as background music, or as excerpts, but seem a little pretentious and silly when they receive extended performance. One think is certain; the .Hack collector is not going to lack for memorabilia.

The second DVD of .hack//SIGN continues the same level of quality as the first. After the first episode, which resolves the cliff hanger of the first DVD, the remaining 3 episodes are rather slow but do continue the story. Everyone seems to break up; Mimiru wants to abandon Tsukasa and go back to dungeon dwelling, Tsukasa hides in his realm with the floating girl and cat, Sora disappears, and the rest of the crew muddle. However, they each find reasons of various motivation to rejoin around the enigma of Tsukasa to solve the puzzle of 'The World'. We also begin to see quick scenes of Mimiru and Bear walking about in the real world (Mimiru is a school girl and Bear is a suited salary man). From the dialogue we can also gather BT wants to seduce Kurim in the real world, but like Silver Knight, is infatuated with the gentile Subaru. They are 'nice' episodes, but not exciting. Perhaps the worst critique aside from slow story is lack o excitement through direction. Although caught in a video game attended by 20-some million people, filled with numerous possibilities for monsters, treasures and mazes; 'The World' looks like a rather unpopulated fantasy prairie with little else to do then walk around or talk to other folks who need to get a life and get off their computers instead of talk to each other dressed as fantasy adventurers. And .hack//SIGN uses this fantasy prairie for A LOT of walking and talking, and in times where there is fighting/dungeon trolling, there is relatively little action or fantasy displayed. I am hooked, despite these problems, and want to know what happens next.

The CD that comes with the special package is a huge mangle of incidental music oddly placed about the series. No opening song, though. A 'nice' extra for a 'nice' DVD but nothing to flip over.

All I can say is...WOW. Okay, I'm on episode 15 now, i've been watching the series on TV since episode three. And must i say, EVERY time i watch this dvd, it amazes me. It is simply wonderful, stunning and beautiful! I can't even put into words how much i love this anime. In this DVD, the plot thickens and you begin to doubt your original hypothesis. It gets very confusing, but also very exciting. This series is as good as it gets, it gets you hooked and you feel as if you NEED more of this series or you'll DIE! It has a very strange plot that is far from ordinary and unique characters. This is an overall addicting show that'll make you cry and laugh right along with the characters. If you don't have Volume 1, i REALLY suggest you buy it or you'll be completely lost! It has beautiful scenery, almost out of a dream! From pastel to neon colors with beautifully detailed characters, landscapes and monsters. Excellent quality, no skips, off colors or anything! Perfect and beautiful! It is truly amazing! Its lifelike sound effects make you feel in the series! The characters voices fit thier personalities perfectly, making this series not only believable, but almost a reality. With all of this, get ready to embark on an epic adventure into The World, you won't regret it! This series is a MUST have for the casual anime fan to otaku! With its enchanting scenery, eloquent dialogue, beautifully detailed characters and engrossing plot, this series will have you hooked by the first episode! Get ready to enter The World! The oly thing i dont like about this series is the cliffhangers! those damn cliffhangers! somethng happens and then the ep ends! and 30 minutes seems like a 10 minute ep! this is truly a "Time Warp" anime! SO COME ONE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! BUY IT!

PS- dont forget the soundtrack! you'll listen to it for DAYS on end, i guarentee it! i love Open Your Heart, actually, i'm listening to it right now!

SIGN continues as Tsukasa's situation is further explored and we get character studies of Mimiru and Bear - two of the three people, along with Subaru, who will ultimately be closest to him throughout his ordeal.

As this volume begins, a distraught Mimiru - who of course has no way of knowing yet that Subaru means Tsukasa no harm - is desperate enough to ask Sora to help break him out. This he does in outrageous fashion, though not without a run in with Subaru's friend Crim. Considering that Sora's game strategy offends Crim's sense of chivalry and Sora is more than a little annoyed at being fought to a draw, it's pretty much loathing at first sight for the two - beginning a rivalry that will continue through the penultimate episode of the series. Tsukasa, meanwhile, bolts and runs.

Thus begins Mimiru's highly amusing subplot as, while waiting to see if Tsukasa reaches out to her again, she's used and abused by a newbie named A-20 who she tries to help. To add insult to injury, much to her dismay she also seems to have become Sora's new best buddy - and can't simply brush him off because he's started to feed her accurate information from a hacker named Helba that might eventually help Tsukasa. Fans who do like Sora - and there are more than a few - will likely point to these episodes when asked why. His strange sense of humour can be infectious, and while he obviously knows that his best chance of finding Tsukasa is probably by sticking to her like a bad penny, he gets more chatty with Mimiru than he really has to, at one point even more or less revealing what kind of person he is in the real world - something that you may have already guessed.

Meanwhile, B.T. is mildly worried about Bear, who's in an uncharacteristic depression that seems to run deeper than some disturbing suspicions he has about Tsukasa's real identity. We get a look into his personal life that gives us a sense of why he's so affected by Tsukasa's plight and why one of his preferred gaming partners is a young girl who has to be less than half his age.

By the end of the volume, Mimiru and Bear's efforts have results. They've reached out to Tsukasa, and spurred by a miserable day he hesitantly responds. They can now begin the task of trying to help him in earnest, and the story is truly underway.

What seems to be Earth's largest and most popular online role-playing game community continues to be unbalanced by Tsukasa, a player trapped in "The World," which is accessed with the use of a headset with goggles. Strange alliances form: B.T. wavers between her friends Mimiru and Bear, to work with the deadly player-killer Sora, who is also working with the law-enforcing Crimson Knights, who are acting without the knowledge of their leader, Lady Subaru, to separate Tsukasa from his monster/guardian and capture him.

Confused? You will be if this is your first ".hack" DVD. You cannot start this in mid-series. The plot, which moves slowly and is filled with philosophizing and conversation, requires a good knowledge of computers, online communities and gaming, and an open mind.

This episode also showcases .hack's double-edged sword, character development, which is both it's best aspect and its worst. All the main characters continue to be fleshed out: the Crimson Knights' squad leader as a frustrated but obedient soldier; Lady Subaru as a curious woman, with waning leadership skills; Crim, as a truly good-intentioned heavy swordsman, as well as the continuing growth of Mimiru and Bear. However, they introduce a first time player named A-20, who attaches herself to Mimiru, and like Tsukasa, is awkward with meeting people. Mimiru takes her to a dungeon event to boost her experience points, etcetera. This is the last you will see of A-20. Why bring her into the series? Just a few more of these character-types will show up in .hack: barely introduced players with no major impact on the plot other than in the episode they appear in.

Again, my displeasure with the way the series ends and the plot and character holes it leaves may all be wrong, depending on how and if they continue and finish this series. As it ends, you are left with more questions (although many are answered) than closure by the time you roll through the credits of the 26th and final episode, in what I'm hoping is only the first season. If there is more to follow, .hack can be great. If there isn't, what a letdown of an ending.

Tremendous art, great, but sometimes overwhelming and overused music, and awesome vocal performances on both sides (Japanese and English). Put on the subtitles and watch in Japanese for a deeper, more confusing philosophical take, and watch in English for a more Cartoon Network, user-friendly perspective. Recommended with the hope that another season or series continues where this one leaves off.

Best cartoon series on at this time. No sexual scenes or nudity. No language that makes a parent dive for the mute button on the remote. Depth of charecters is able to followed by both adults and children without dumbing down or talking over an age specific intellect. Plot is deepening as we continue to watch all the current episodes and own both of the DVDs out right now. As we follow the charecter Tsukasa, we are pulled deeper into his past as well as his fantasy world. As for the soundtrack, my daughter really loves the title song "Obseesion".

I just .hack/sign dvd 2 in the mail today. I want to use to first disc on this review. I personally consider .hack/sign a cyberpunk version of NOIR. .HACK and NOIR both show the caracters emothions non-verbally,the slow-pased storyline and the same person wrote the BMG. I, as a gajin, aperaate the fact the the op is in English by a J-POP group.