".hack//SIGN" (2002) TV series

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The only thing he can't do....Is log out

Plot:

A strange boy named Tsukasa appears in the online video game "The World". He claims to be alive, and without a computer.

Plot Keywords:

Multiplayer | Escapism | .hack | Subtitled | Internet

Cast

Mitsuki Saiga	...	Tsukasa (2 episodes, 2002)
Megumi Toyoguchi	...	Mimiru (2 episodes, 2002)
Kazuhiro Nakata	...	Bear (2 episodes, 2002)
Akiko Hiramatsu	...	BT (2 episodes, 2002)
Kaori Nazuka	...	Subaru (2 episodes, 2002)
Isshin Chiba	...	Silver Knight (2 episodes, 2002)
Rie Tanaka	...	Morganna (2 episodes, 2002)
Hiroshi Yanaka	...	Sora (2 episodes, 2002)
Mitsuyo Kondo	...	Grunty (2 episodes, 2002)
Brianne Siddall	...	Tsukasa (2 episodes, 2002)
Amanda Winn Lee	...	Mimiru (2 episodes, 2002)
Paul Mercier	...	Bear (2 episodes, 2002)
Kim Mai Guest	...	Subaru (2 episodes, 2002)
Douglas Rye	...	Silver Knight (2 episodes, 2002)
Valerie Arem	...	Morganna (2 episodes, 2002)

Runtime:

USA:25 min (25 episodes and 3 bonus episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color | Black and White

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | UK:PG (some episodes) | UK:U (some episodes) | USA:TV-Y7 | Australia:PG

Company:

Bandai Entertainment

Trivia:

As a special bonus for the fourth and final volume of the game series, Bee Train and CyberConnect2 (the companies who produced .hack//SIGN) created a bonus 29th episode entitled .hack//GIFT. In addition to a redesigned opening and a plot which features the characters from //SIGN and the games looking for a secret area called the Tasogare Onsen (Twilight Hot Springs), the episode contains radically different and cartoony designs for the characters that exaggerate their physical features.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the episode "Party" Tsukasa initially miscalculates the product of 331 and 3 in answering the second riddle. This is only in the English dub.

Quotes:

Sora: Tsukasa! Let's play red light-green light.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Yuki Kajiura Live (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

The World

Great and intriguing plot: 10/10

This was my second anime experience, after Sen to Chihiro No Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) and I must say it was a decent one: .hack//Sign has a very intriguing plot and every main character has a recognizable and typical way of acting in "The World". This series is - oh so - addictive and it gets more exciting the more episodes you have seen! I especially liked (read: LOVED) the character of Mimiru, for some reason I think she is so sexy! And so is Subaru, whom I liked more and more during the episodes.

Also, don't forget to watch the .hack//Liminality movies, which come with the videogames (only in Japan, I'm afraid, but I think there might be bootlegs to be found on the internet - though I'm not sure); it's an excellent way to learn more about The World and its inhabitants!