.hack//SIGN (2002–2003) User Reviews

Because playing online games is a serious business.

[Rectangular_businessman · 6/10 · 24 October 2012]

The plot from this series felt a bit like a combination of "Serial Experiments Lain" with the South Park Episode Make Love, Not Warcraft, with all the characters taking an online game with such seriousness that it wasn't sure what to think about it.

I mean, the animation is excellent, the art is pretty well done and the music is effectively haunting, butthe plot from this series doesn't convince me.

Aside from the fact that all the characters from this anime take a multi-player RPG with a solemnity that could be expected from an existentialist book, the pacing is way too slow for my taste, with nothing really happening for most part of the episodes. I don't mind if a series is slow as long the plot and the characters remain being interesting, but the problem is that, after a few chapters, .hack//SIGN becomes incredibly tedious.

I really tried to like this series, and I have to recognize the fact that it does have indeed many virtues. But this kind of stuff isn't for everyone. Personally, I think that even the most patient viewers will have some trouble watching .hack//SIGN due the slowness of the plot.

At least .hack//Legend of the Twilight didn't takes itself too seriously, being more enjoyable to watch. (Despite the somewhat uncomfortable incest subtext which was included for some reason)

I wonder if this show served as inspiration for the "Greed Island" arc from Hunter X Hunter.

The animation and soundtrack are amazing, though.

Grainy

[Mysterygeneration · 6/10 · 18 January 2024]

A single installment in the Project. Hack series, .Hack//Sign blends books, manga, TV anime, and OVAs to create a single, expansive story featuring characters and events that occur both simultaneously and chronologically. The review that follows is written as a stand-alone anime and from the perspective of the franchise.

Most reviews of Hack//Sign agree that the plot is uninteresting, has little action, and moves slowly. The plot revolves around character interaction and development, even though some of these statements are absolutely accurate. Through their interactions with the other members of the cast, their surroundings, and their progressive contribution to the plot, each side character's backstory is revealed to the audience. The story revolves around competing and complementary characters, propelled by enigmas.

The animation in. Hack//Sign is excellent and goes well with "The World's" fantasy setting. Each setting has a distinct emotional vibe that fits in perfectly with the show's leisurely pacing. Each location has its own theme and atmosphere that truly makes "The World" feel as large as the actual world, and its individuality helps establish the tone for the current scenario in the anime. The land is vibrantly scattered with icy wastelands, arid deserts, and tropical jungles. The real world, on the other hand, is more akin to vintage silent black-and-white movies than the virtual one.

Text appears to substitute spoken sound, creating a depressing and gloomy portrayal of the real world. In order to convey how "The World" seems to be the ideal haven from problems in real life, the contrast between the colorful virtual world and the depressing real world becomes crucial. Since each character has a unique design that fits the larger framework that "The World" establishes, the character designs are also quite well done. Though there were a few areas that felt a touch "grainy," overall, this virtual world's design is really impressive.

.Hack//Sign's distinct soundtrack and sound set it apart from other anime. While the background music inspires peace and melancholy, the opening song, Obsession, provides a trance-like atmosphere. A sense of storytelling is added by the folklore element. Scenes are set with spoken background music, such as Key of the Twilight. Though certain music might overshadow a scene, the mood is rarely ruined by it.

As a whole. There is a reason to take Hack//Sign seriously. You'll wonder if you could experience something similar after reading this tale of escape gone bad. The music effectively establishes the show's emotional tone, while the animation is captivating and inventive. I must caution you once more to avoid this show if you detest sluggish-paced television or crave action; nevertheless, if you enjoy a solid mystery in a fantastical atmosphere, then give it a shot. This is a hack// sign for you.

I thought it was OK

[bountyseeker2003 · 8/10 · 26 July 2006]

Well after you get past the slightly depressing scheme of things and the fact it takes awhile for anything of real excitement to happen it does turn out to be pretty good once everything kinda falls together....so all in all I would give it an 8/10 because of the usual good quality animation and voice acting ( unlike those crappy dim a dozen American cartoons).... In addition to that they had a good cast of well developed characters (Sora was my favorite)....

Anyways a little info on the actual series can simply be put as follows: it starts out when a kid is playing and basically had his conscious severed from his physical body thus being stuck in the game called the "world" and unable to logout. Then he eventually find and befriends some random people, he gets special administrative privileges from some omni-present being, they find out this omni-present being is bad and end up fighting and predictably defeating it in battle....they throw a party ...and the end

.hack//Sign is not boring or confusing

[rm2kmidi · 27 October 2003]

.hack//Sign is not boring or confusing. If you have seen Evangelion, which is created by some of the same people, you can see how the "confusion" is actually an important story device called Mystery.

As the other comments eluded to, this series is one in a multi-format anime/manga/game series. Hack sign is only the second part in the series. So the claim that the ending resolves nothing, first realize that this series was never intended to "stand alone", but to complement the other parts. Second, please refer to the other animes done by these people: Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, both have inconclusive endings, like it or not. If you can't stand a complex plot; you prefer simple, predictable plots; then this show is not for you.

As to the boring part. The show may be slow moving, especially the episode where Mimiru waits for Tsukasa in Dun Lorielag, but if you are paying attention fully, you notice how well written the show is. It is portraying the sometimes tediousness of online gaming, but more importantly, showing how Tsukasa is living on a completely different timeframe from other players. This serves to give the viewers some insight into how Tsukasa must be feeling, and how the other "normal" players must be exerting themselves trying to befriend him. .Hack//Sign is a beautiful story. With well drawn characters and backgrounds, and well written music. The characters and dialogue are complex, as well as the story. I recommend everybody buy/watch this anime, as well as .hack//liminality and also play the games. They are all fun and each are a part in a larger puzzle. This whole series has quite an original concept. It certainly is not boring or confusing.

One of the Best Anime

[arorashadow_2003 · 10/10 · 29 December 2004]

(Ten Stars) I think this is one of the best Animes, amongst many others. .hack//SIGN intrigued me, and actually made me wonder. Not to mention the occasional chill sent down my spine. While it may be confusing it beats most clichéd RPG-Based Anime'sand Fantsy base Anime out there. The cliff hangers leave you waiting and wanting more. Even though it doesn't have so much action in it I think it is great. Beats the crap out of Pokemon, and Final Fantasy. What I love about this is it's so mysterious, and dark, and unpredictable. Unlike with Final Fantasy, Zelda, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and so on. The music is great to. The acting was great, the best I have ever seen. This is one of the bests in my opinion. In Fact .hack//SIGN is the first Anime I have seen, that was actually dark. With the many surprises in there, I have never been the same. There are many great characters in this series, some goofy, others serious, and just plain lovable. Tsukasa is a highly emotional enigma. Subaru is a personal fav. of mine. She's sweet, and cute. And they didn't try to hard to make them funny, or make their jokes funny. "Tsukasa, let's play red light green light!" -Sora. That was the best gag I have ever heard. David Whittenburg did wonders for Sora. And the Chrimson Knights. And A-20 is an adorable character

Very wonderful animation by Bee-Train along with some guy with a really long Japanese Name. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. They have tone, to their bodies, and the EFX are wonderful. There is some cell shading, but it's light, and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Wonderful songs by Yuki Kajiura (FLCL, Fiction, Boogie Pop, NOIR, MADLAX) wonderful blend of Ambiance, and Orchestral sound. And mix of pop, and classical, makes it just right. I have two sound tracks to the show, and one to the game. And it's just wonderful. The songs are memorable, and greatly composed. Music is very important to me, and Yuki pulled it off nicely.

Great voicing. Brianne Siddal, Amanda Win Lee, Kim Guest, and many others, including the man Dave Whitenburg (WHR, Speed Racer, Digimon 03) as the malevolent, yet goofy "Sora" My favorite Quote from Sora "Tsukasa! Let's play red light green light!" And Valiery Arem as "The Voice" Morgannah. "I need you, as much as you need me. As long as we walk together, I shall protect you." Kim Guest, plays the sweet Subaru, and she brings her out very nicely.

Who would have thought up such a novel of a story? It is brilliant. It's so mysterious, and not predictable. Full of dialog yes, but still. Fighting isn't everything. There comes a point when fighting gets ridiculous, and takes away from the story. And it's told across this show, the games, and Manga books. Truly the largest story I have seen in an Anime. (Not counting Pokemon)

Like I said, seeing .hack For the first time was chilling. When you are watching light comical Pokemon all the time, plus G® Rated Cartoons and you see something with that strong of thematic elements, you get chills. During one episode, when Aura, stabs Tsukasa, and who can forget, wasn't expecting that. And who can forget, "Data Drain." This was a rare treat for me, because I hadn't (and still don't) seen that strong of Thematic Elements in Cartoons before. .hack is truly my Gate-Way Anime, to much better Anime.

This is one of my favorite shows because it didn't go overboard with Violence, but it remained dark, and just unknown. It really bugs me when people give this show poor reviews. If it were just another type of it's Genre, fine. But I see this as a rather unique show. Not by it's Genre, by everything else. Stuff I had never seen before, prior to this. Imagine my reaction to Mimiru ;) Plus when they give it a low score just because it's full of dialog. Not everything has to be violent to be good! I hate it when Violence is so extreme, that I can't bare to watch it. (Inuyasha, Read or Die Wolf's Rain Cowboy Bebop) Because it's just distracting. Violence doesn't make for good story telling. But you don't see me giving those 0's or lower than 7, because of that. I gave Read or Die, a 8/10 over all. I can understand if you have ADHD, and you can't sit through it. Fine that's fact, doesn't mean you have to give it a low score. .hack//SIGN is more on thematic elements than combat, and more on mystery, than action. You want action, play the .hack GAMES, or watch something else You'll get your action. One of the best Anime I have ever seen.

weird ending

[mokkelvin · 9/10 · 29 June 2006]

The Anime have a very interesting story and there was a Mystery to it. The fight scene was a bit short but it's really good in my opinion. My favourite characters are Tsukasa and Mimiru.

The only thing I dislike about this anime is the ending. On episode 25 - Return, you see that Tsukasa can finally log out, I accept that but this episode show you that they were in a middle of a battle and Sora was trapped. However somehow they survive the battle because on the final episode 28 called "Unison" you see everyone having a party.

On episode 26 "Intermezzo" it's tell you how Mimiru know about "the world" this one was quite interesting however it's got nothing to do with the main story. Episode 27 "Evidence" should be avoided, it just show repeats on episode 1, 5, 6, and 14.

I'm not saying this is bad anime because I love it and .hack//legend but I wish they have made a few more episode explain what happen. Over-all I give this a 9/10.

Greatest Anime of All Time.. So Far..

[mirosuionitsaki2 · 10/10 · 30 July 2007]

Yes, it's true. This show doesn't have much violence as you expected. Actually when a man is stabbed, you don't see him until he is lying on the ground. But you know what? I don't care. This anime is just wonderful. The excitement, every episode slowly opens up a secret of Tsukasa until the final episode. It's so wonderful, funny, and.. I don't really know what else I can say without making myself attempt to sound smart. It's just a really good anime. Beats Pita Ten and Death Note by 100%.

This makes me think. Why didn't the crash really happen in 2005? It would have opened up the virtual gaming world in 2010! That would've be exciting! Yes, so this show is really out date seeing none of this happened in 2005. But it makes you think, don't it? I recommend this show to everyone. I don't see anything wrong with it not to recommend it to children either. Just mild violence.

A tedious work of art. 8-9/10

[apeironcalamity · 21 December 2003]

.hack//SIGN cannot be judged alone. This show was meant to be connected with many other forms of multimedia and many other shows. There is.hack//Liminality 4 episode series, .hack//DUSK manga and anime (a.k.a. Legend of the Twilight Bracelet), and the gaming series. Each seperate show/game/manga fills in those questions that are left by the others and you must even do some investigating yourself to fill in some of the blanks.

Standing alone, .hack//SIGN is a work of art. The scenery is amazing, the character designs are very original, and the soundtrack is mindblowing. Because the entire series takes place witin a digital world, the artists had a lot of freedom in the design of the enviroment; yet they also had the guidelines of keeping the same feeling of the enviroment in the games (.hack//Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarintine). This provided a challenge because the graphics in the games aren't exactly wonderful. But the artists pull through keeping true to the game and making an unforgetable world for us to enjoy. Anoter big challenge was to create a way to make the main characters recognizable while keeping them within design of the "extras" because the series is a game where there are skins for the players. The characters that stick out in my mind are Chrim and Mimiru. Finally, during the course of the whole series, there are very few moments where there is no music playing and whenever this happens, it is for dramatic effect. They even have a feature on the DVD to take out the dialogue and just watch the beautiful art and listen to the amazing muisc.

I don't want to talk much about the story because it is something you need to discover for yourself. All you need to know is that at times the story can drag and seem slow but all you need to do is stick with it and make sure you don't get lost in the many intellegent conversations that take place.

I HIGHLY reccomend this series espicially with taking part in the many other offered .hack media.

One of my guilty pleasures

[Colinswags · 9/10 · 18 August 2020]

While this anime was never highly rated, I love it for some reason. Call it nostalgia maybe, but I feel like I watch this every few years.

One of the best anime series out there

[brandonm-9 · 10/10 · 7 February 2009]

I know this is kind of an outdated anime, but this show is a great show. I grew up playing the .hack series of games , and this side story makes it all the better.

***SPOILER*** This story is about an innocent person who started to play a game called "The World" who couldn't log out of the game. I'm not going to ruin the plot too much, but if you watch it through the whole way, you will love it.

It really keeps you hooked throughout the whole series. I love the plot, conflict, and controversy that is displayed through the characters. Another cool thing is the catchy music. I think any anime fan would like this.

One of the best series I've seen

[Vyaiskaya · 10/10 · 16 February 2021]

Genre: Mystery, Philosophy, MMORPG, Character Study/Psychological

Sick of shallow fighting and basic predictable storylines? Looking for something more existential, psychological and philosophical? A series which broke momentous grounds, early depictions imagining what an MMORPG might be, of what our interactions with technology might be, and even what it means to be the self? A lot of deep themes are hit in this beautiful mystery.

The story takes place in The World, a MMORPG which dominates the market after the internet and humanity was nearly destroyed. The characters follow the disgruntled story of the character Tsukasa, who like the other members of the cast is searching for his own means of escapism. The predicament of Tsukasa, being trapt in the World, with no monitor, is met with disbelief, but slowly grasped by those initially reluctant to believe this is possible. The cast is heavily developed, giving life to each player and the depths of their psychology as they probe amongst their groups into the mystery, both of the World and the inner self. The cast comes to realise that there is more to the World than meets the eye as they, as mere players, attempt to resolve Tsukasa's situation, and this installment marches towards that resolution. This is the series that started it all, the entry point for the expansive .Hack// franchise, and for the modern mmorpg genre. The premises introduced here, and the mystery, only deepen as you dig for more answers throughout the franchise (with many deeply satisfying revelations along the way), as you come to know more and more about the true nature of the World.

*Pros* Highly-developed cast and cast interactions Sense of awe and mystery Beautiful artwork Realism Inspirational soundtrack (Thank you Kajiura Yuki) Deep plot lines and groundwork to the larger franchise Touches on deep themes in philosophy, psychology, escapism and fantasy Groundbreaking and far ahead of it's time for 2002 touching upon many taboo topics in a thoughtful and approachable way Set the stage for a wide genre of works Dark mature story

*Potential Cons* Dark mature story Not something you can half-pay attention to or play in the background Won't appeal to those who consider Bleach or fighting tournements a good story the story itself and everything that happens is important and there isn't much, or any filler Requires empathy, and openness to deeper philosophical themes Gateway piece for a wide franchise and not all media is easily available (or affordable rather)

Meh, it's all right

[thegreatgrundle · 20 September 2003]

Before I start, let me point out that the only exposure I've had to the.hack universe is through this series. So if I'm just not getting something that is somehow enhanced by the games or other series, I apologize.

Anyway, this is really a pretty good show. Not great, but good. Good characters, great animation and music, and an inventive and creative plot. The only real beefs I have with this show are the length and the confusion. During the series, I accepted the fact that things may seem a little confusing, and I'd just have to stick with it. I expected that things would be tied up at the end, maybe not completely, but at least enough to justify watching all these (mostly pointless) episodes. Unfortunately, I don't feel that they really explained what happened. It kind of left me hanging. I understand the story goes on, but I would have preferred a little more closure.

As for the length, the series contains far too little content to fill nearly thirty episodes. Its kind of an anti-FLCL, if you know what I mean. They could have easily wrapped it up in 13, if not fewer. It just seemed to drag on and on, talking a lot without really saying anything. Of course, sometimes it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful animation and music. They were something of a saving grace.

So in the end, I'd recommend .hack//sign. Despite its length, it managed to keep my interest throughout, and that's always a good thing.

.Hack//SIGN: MMO meets part Murder Mystery.

[omega2064 · 8/10 · 21 December 2008]

.Hack//SIGN is an anime series with a very unusual setting and premise. About 99% of the series takes place within an online MMORPG called "The World of Twilight", or simply "The World". The series is set in the very near future and there is little sci-fi elements to the series since almost all of it takes place within the fantasy setting of the game the players interact in. Despite the sophistication of the characters depicted in the game world, they seem to be standard controller or keyboard controlled, with the addition of a VR headset instead of a TV screen. The players do not actually "jack into" the game physically or mentally. But as the series opens we are introduced to Tsukasa, a young boy playing what is the games equivalent of a wizard. After meeting a mysterious and mute cat-like player and opening a chest within a dungeon zone things start to go seriously awry. Tsukasa discovers that he now cannot log out of the game, in fact he is *in* the game now. When accosted by a self-appointed "policeman" and questioned roughly he discovers he also has a guardian that is capable of defeating any opponent. But it is also learned that anyone the guardian defeats is left in a coma in the real world. From here the anime covers the attempts of various players who meet Tsukasa to try and decipher the mystery of what has happened to both he and the victims. All the while though Tsukasa retreats further from contact with people while being constantly hunted by more self-appointed police yet at the same time forming a bond with the organizations leader. Every thing slowly converges towards revelations as to who gave Tsukasa his powers and the reasons for his being trapped in the game.

.hack//SIGN, despite being set in a fantasy world of swords and sorcery is *VERY* spartan with its few fight scenes. Quite often what in any other anime would be a massive battle will in this one end abruptly or never be shown at all. Characters then usually speak of what happened after, or have brief flashbacks. The characters though do *ALOT* of talking and wandering around. If you approach the series as more a sort of murder mystery rather than an action film then you will likely get more out of it than those looking for flashy brawls. Unravelling the mystery is what drives this anime.

The series has three "extra" episodes that were left out of some DVD releases in the US. One is a sort of grand party which has tie-ins with the Playstation RPG which picks up where the anime left off, and one is a very bizarre comedy-parody while the last is a recap of the series.

Check it out of you are interested in more cerebral fare and are not looking to see lots of swords and sorcery.

This is a great anime

[StevieNicole · 14 July 2003]

Just a few months ago I saw this show for the first time.I heard everyone talking about it so I watched it.After watching one episode of this show I fell in love with it.I think it's one of the BEST ANIME shows ever! I got one of my friends to watch it one night and now she watches it all the time.Even though It only 30 minutes long it seems longer and really good.Most of the time Stuff that you wouldn't expect happen!It is very cool!I recommend this show to all Anime lovers!

A very goooood anime series

[yuriel_367 · 26 January 2006]

This is, whatever anyone might say, one of the best anime ever created. I say this because, although i do admit that the story plot pace is slow - slower than anyone could imagine - it still holds a valuable plot and of course, opens up much more for the following series of games, and manga. Of course, there is a novel before this series as well, and overall i just have to say that Project Hack was such a good success, at least in my opinion. Espscially the use of many different approach was good - manga, anime, games and novels.

If someone was to watch only .hack//SIGN, then of course it may seem unsatisfying, because it really does not give much info about anything. Since it was meant to be a prequel of the games, if you want to find out what happens to Sora, Aura or Tsukasa after wards, you would have to play the games.

Overall, i do admit that there were much more talking than action - in which it lost many action-anime fans. However it is an anime that is more inspirational movies than the action-packed ones. You had to get into the human emotions and philosophy to fully enjoy the meaning behind the anime - hard lives, choices, obstacles that appear in the real life, the players (characters) try to avoid by logging into "The World". However in the end they all realize to face fear and live their life to fullest extent.

Overall, i personally would give this anime 10/10, for its superb performance. Whether it was the heart-touching quotes, the ever-beautiful music, or the mind-blowingly complex plot, i find that .hack//SIGN is a must for all anime fans.

P.S: Just adding a reply to one of the comments... Tsukasa is NOT an AI character.

One of the best

[Tsukasa · 2 July 2003]

One of the best animes I have ever had the gift of watching. Character design is superb,great musical score, and the voice acting is up in line with Cowboy Bebop, Alexander(Reign the Conquerer), etc. The games are great. Hopefully it will become a long running series like the Mobile Suit Gundam series.

Willam, the copies of the game you found were probably the American versions released legally.

Far out cool!

[TimothyMcKann · 29 October 2005]

When I first watched this series on Cartoon Network in 2003, I only got to see the first episode and I have to say this series was amazing. I really want to collect this series, and I did. When I bought the first 2 volumes on DVD in 2004. They were the best, I know it's hard for Tsukasa to logout because there was no player to control him. I believe that Tsukasa is immortal and he cannot be defeated. Another thing I liked about the show is the music and songs. I think the best song in this series is,"The World".And of course,"The key of the Twilight" My favorite characters in this show are:Subaru,BT,and Crim. I did like the other episodes after buying the next 2 volumes on DVD, and of course the final volumes. But before watching them, I watched the other volumes over all the way through. It was really cool watching them all the way through before the new volumes. The series also features the voices of:Amanda Winn Lee,Dave Wittenberg,Donna Rawlins,Kim Mai Guest,Mary Elizabeth McGlynn,Paul Mercier,(famous for Onimusha 3),Valerie Arem,Bob Papenbrook,Brianne Siddall, Crispin Freeman, Debra Rogers,Doug Rye,Kirk Thornton,Lani Minella,Lex Lang ,Mona Marshall,Sandy Fox,and Wendee Lee. So in closing, after the series,play the video game. It's the best.

.hack//disappointing

[delicatedream · 25 March 2006]

I had high hopes for this series, because I fell in love with the music long before I ever got around to actually watching it. Now that I have seen it, I am very disappointed. This series tries so hard to create a sense of danger for the viewer, but the characters keep saying things like "if we die we can just continue from where we saved." Maybe it's just me, but I don't find this very exciting because I keep imagining the "real life" people controlling each character - basically a bunch of arrogant geeks, some as old as 40. Can't you just picture a 40-year-old virgin controlling Mimiru? I can and I do. The music gets annoying because it's reused so much and therefore it can't convey the emotions of the scenes as well as it should. It's even more annoying when they try to mix it up by having the vocals of a song without the music. That just sounds cheap and lazy. I'll admit that I've only seen up to episode 16, but I'm going to predict that Tsukasa can't log out because he is actually an AI character.

Anyway I was hoping for a brilliant, enveloping fantasy story, but if I try to immerse myself too deep into this, I can only see how flawed and ridiculous it is. Too bad.