Customer Reviews

.hack//SIGN - Uncovered (Vol. 5) with Soundtrack Series Box

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When the last DVD left off, one of the strongest themes in process was the developing relationship between Tsukasa and Subaru, who we now know is partially paralyzed in real life. This DVD starts out with Tsukasa bringing Subaru to Aura's bedside and the repercussions of that act. In retaliation for that act Tsukasa finds himself in conflict with the spirit that haunts that site, and will spend almost all of this series trying to recover from the backlash.

Subaru, unawares of this, begins to play a role in the second key them of this set - tracking down the avatar of Harald Hoenwick, the creator of the World. Somehow Harald has unintentionally programmed a deadly series of events into the virtual environment. As a result, players are being rendered comatose and undefeatable monsters are wandering the dungeons. In the first major crossover from the console game Helba puts in a lengthy appearance, aiding Bear, Subaru and Mimiru in their quest.

The real world is beginning to impinge on the inner story as well. Not in terms of scene shifts, but in sudden insights into the real nature of some of the players. Crim begins to act as a general conscience for the players, asking each one why they are really there. As a result, several of the characters revisit their motives, causing a few surprising realignments. Not Sora though, he is intent on being one of the villains.

As you can see, this DVD represents the dramatic pause befor events start working towards a conclusion, the battle is dawning on several fronts as both the game and the players are increasingly at risk. It always surprises me how story driven this part of the .hack package is, refusing to give in to the pressure to become a pure swords and sorcery outing or to use excessive graphics to cover the gaps. I hardly expected this series to be so thoughtful, and it is a refreshing change.

Tsukasa takes Subaru to see the sleeping girl and not only is she not there but the entity gets real mad at Tsukasa and punishes him in the way you would expect from a ticked off omnipotent entity. And that's it for him or a while. The Cat, however, shows some concern for him making you wonder at the cats relationship to the entity.
The team of Bear, Mimiru, and Subaru with the help of Helba find another way to the broken man and learn a few more hints to the truth - that is, before the entity finds out what they are up to.
Un-killable monsters are roaming the land, mysterious players who we have yet to be introduced to are shadowing the team, and more plots are being made aginst the group as BT, Sora, and the Silver Knight team up. But is the Silver Knight a player or a pawn? For that matter, is BT even in control of her own plots and with the chaotic nature of his character will Sora forsake all alliances for a chance to serve the "Power"?
And what about Subarus' feelings toward Tsukasa?
And what happened to the sleeping girl?
And what's going to happen if she is awakened?
As I've said before, this series has been more about human interaction and intrigue than action. Even though there is action, I feel that it is used to enforce or to re-enforce the by-play between characters. Which is one thing I love about the series.
A good example is the fights with the un-killable monsters and how the Silver Knight is abandoned by Sora, where as Subaru falls to one of the beasts and another is willing to jump in-between them simply to be there for her. As they've said, even if it is a game no one likes to die.
It comes down to who will be there for who, who can swallow their pride to work with others, and who is willing to abandon everyone to follow their own path. Alliances are formed here that should endure through the final confrontation.

The party gets assists from Helba and, in a brief cameo, Subaru's powerful friend Balmung - who we haven't met yet but has previously been mentioned as helping out offscreen - as the final conflict draws near.

Of all the people he's come to care for, Tsukasa's closest tie is to Subaru, and he now trusts her enough to share Aura, the sleeping girl with her. This does not go over well with The Voice, however, and once Subaru leaves she punishes him severely - a serious setback, as Tsukasa is left traumatized and shell shocked.

In other developments, the whole party is now on the same page, with Bear and Mimiru working in concert with Subaru and Crim for the first time. With the appearance of unkillable boss monsters hearalding the fact that they're running out of time, they try to bring their lost sheep back into the fold.

Previous comments from Crim have suggested that the Silver Knight isn't really a bad guy if given a nudge in the right direction, and indeed we find him taking the fallout of the Knights' dismantling - which was certainly never his intention - even harder than Subaru. B.T. - who's been seesawing through the whole series - wants back in, but doesn't see how that's possible considering her recent behavior and the messy way she's left things - until she finds to her surprise that Bear still maintains an almost childlike faith in her. For that matter, the "old man" hasn't entirely given up on Sora either.

There's always one problem case, however, and it looks like he might be wrong on that count. Until now, Sora hasn't really done anything more dire than play The World rather unscrupulously. However, it should be starting to register that a real child is in trouble and this is no longer just a game, and his antics are starting to wear thin. Finally even threatening Mimiru - who he had seemed to like if he liked anyone - he seems to be a lost cause. And like the young boy it's been implied he is in the real world, he starts playing with fire...

The chess pieces are on the board, and zero hour is approaching.

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of both the anime series and the game, so I may be a bit biased... I started with the game, and was worried that I wouldn't like the series, or that it wouldn't compare to or measure up to the game. However, the series parallels the game, and there are some nice tie-ins between the series and game now. The characters in the series are nicely developed, and the storyline is very involved without being over-developed or entangled. The story has taken some good twists, and I love it! I'm also a fan of the music that's in the series. It nicely accompanies the story, and is something that I can listen to anytime. I highly recommend this series for anyone who's ever played the game, or for someone who happens to love anime. Thumbs-up from me!!!

The dvd is great. I know that one person reported being mad because she didn't recieve 4 cds with the box, as she thought she was supposed to get with the box. Well actually I thought it was supposed to come with 4 cds too, but it isn't. The collector's box is just that. A box. It even says on the side of the collectors box that it is designed to hold all 4 cds. It doesn't say it is supposed to come with 4 cds included. I know that is aggrivating, but there it is. Don't order this thinking that you will get a dvd and music too, because you will only get a dvd and a collector's box with no cds inside.

The whole .Hack//Sign series caught and kept my attention the minute it came out on TV. These movies are a must-buy of .Hack, .Hack//Sign fans, or if you just like slowly developing plots with lots of suprising twists to it.

I bought this series to add to 1-4 that I already own. I love .hack//sign but when I got this the cd's were not in the package. Why would someone send me the empty outer casing for the cd's but not the cd's themselves? I'm puzzled!

I ordered the special dot Hack//Sign DVD with the CD box, since it was the only thing I didn't have. The outside box that protected the DVD and the CD box was crinkled on one corner, probably occurring during transport, but otherwise both the CD box [which I had wanted) and the DVD that finished up my collection were unharmed.

Of course, the series is great, a 7/10! I think its DEFINITELY worth watching! Play the video games too, they help explain things even more!

Ryuichi

Well it is Jan. 19 and I am still waiting to receive the correct item ordered Hack Vol. 5. The supplier shipped me Vol. 4 and although I have contacted them on several occasions both through and outside of Amazon.com channels I have yet to receive the correct DVD. My credit card has already been charged for this item and I have yet to receive the correct item supposedly shipped on Jan. 4. Dissatisfied Customer.

I can't get enough of .hack. I continue to be surprised by this series. Our heroes are starting to get closer to solving the mystery of the Key of the Twilight. You must get this.