045 4 I've watched A LOT of anime way before it became mainstream , so I have had a sample of all the good stuff that made it here before the crappy kids shows . Neon Genesis is a supurd anime , you can't call yourself an anime lover before you watch that , however as much as I liked that anime , I LOVE . hack / / SIGN . This sotry is slower moving , you see mostly character development and none of that bloody violence that is prevolent in most anime and other media . If you love getting involved with the characters you'll love this . Every person alive can relate to at least one of the characters in . hack , it's amazing to watch it and see how their lives play out . Even better , if you like this anime enough , there are four games to play that take place 6 months after this story . They pick up where it left off and solve the riddles that are left unsolved at the end of this series . Now I have to say that to be an true anime fan you have to have watched 2 series , Neon Genesis Evangelion and of course , . hack / / SIGN ! ^ _ ^ 。 。 /
010 4 If you're a real big . hack / / SIGN fan , you need this thing . Just be careful . If you don't choose and look carefully , you'll get some DVD set with none of the cool stuff with it . One more thing , the . hack / / SIGN series moves very very slowly and can be difficult to follow sometimes . If you don't speak Japanese , leave the subtitles on for some of the later episodes , or else you'll be totally confused , and won't get the actual meaning of some of the words that appear . It's really worth it to try and follow the series . I found myself almost crying when I watched episode 28 , which is the last of them . So , if you're willing to stick with it , and try to understand the series , you'll probably really love it .
036 4 First , I'll admit , . hack / / SIGN is getting some of the best limited edition treatment I've ever seen . This box and its load of extras is sure to be highly coveted by anime fans and DVD collectors . In particular , I think the soundtrack is a great extra , as . hack has excellent music .
061 4 When I saw it , I knew I had to have it . The plushie caught my eye first , so I read what it contained . ALL THAT FOR JUST 65 DOLLARS ! ! I WOULD PAY 65,000 DOLLARS FOR THAT ! ! I'm totally in luv with . hack / / SIGN ! !
062 4 . hack / / SIGN was a little confusing anime but it was really good . Hey it was some good stuff and it's worth the buy .
056 4 Even if the DVD will never be as the original Japanese one , I think it rocks . The box is very pretty and so are all the things inside it , for the price it has it's VERY cheap , I saw it elsewhere in $ . . . ! So it's a must buy and since just 15,000 are available , it will be very rare to find it later !
055 4 Incredible series . This box is a must have for any . hack / / sign fan . Skip buying the first DVD and just pick this up . It's worth the extra twenty , trust me .
073 4 the only thing that was good about this series was the music .
I am by no means a long-time or deep ` otaku ' type that has seen hundreds of anime , so feel free to take my expansiveness with a grain of salt ) .
Many don't pay such attention to the soundtrack , but unless you're totally unaffected by music , you'll be drawn into The World further and faster than you might expect . I've been waiting for the U.S . release of . hack as much for the music as for the story .
False Wings , which seems to play whenever Subaru is on-screen , is a compelling , mournful Spanish lullaby / love song with simple acoustic guitar and mandolin accompaniment . Key of the Twilight has a new-age rock beat with Spanish and Celtic influences that could have come from Riverdance . The vocals on these songs are the same female voice doing duet or quartet work , and is receded into the instrumentation so as to sound as one of the instruments themselves . Many of the latter tracks are piano works like those found on Narada or Windham Hill disks , but without the minimalist ( ` piano tuner ' ) arrangements .
STORY - Some complain about . hack's slow pacing . This perception may be justified , but I think it's a matter of style preference . Anime is usually formated faster than presented here . The opposite end of the spectrum is Furi Kuri's frenetic pace , exceeding Robin Williams on speed ; so much goes by so fast that you have to watch frame-by-frame to catch everything that's going on . Valium is recommended after the closing credits ( ritalin for the younger crowd . . . ) .
. hack will not interest those who require such sensory overload . But it will find a home with those who like watching a good story in the same manner as curling up in a comfortable chair with a good book . I think this is deliberate . . hack is a bit of a thought piece . The writers want us to take the time to understand The World , the players and their concerns . There's something deeper going on than just the surface action , and a fast pace wouldn't allow us the reflection , observation , and synthesis of events needed to understand the story . Evangelion would not have worked if done in Furi Kuri speed . Neither would . hack . Those who have been involved with role-playing games ( RPGs ) realize that difficulties involving thought , motivation and problem solving are slower ( and often more satisfying ) than the hack-and-slash variety .
And this makes sense . RPGs all have basic rules that everyone knows when they first start play , but it takes awhile to understand how those rules interweave into the game and how characters dance on and around them . Over time , indecipherable rules become clear . After that , we can understand the characters better .
Because of this , it's my impression that . hack has to be approached from a slightly different viewpoint ; we have to realize that what we're seeing is a virtual world . In part , we're like the characters we're watching , observing others , trying to figure out The World , its inhabitants , and how it all works . The characters may or may not resemble anything like their real-world counterparts . We get some occasional reminders of this , like Bear referring to himself as an ` old man ' while Mimiru suggests that you can be anything with a little editing . This is reminiscent of Japanese Theater where ` clappers ' roam the audience making noise to remind them that what's on stage is not real .
So we have to think on two levels at once ; the actions in the virtual world , and how they affected the real world . The characters do interact outside the game , and we wish that we could meet with them as well , because we're curious about who they really are .
EXTRAS - This is where I find the DVD to be quite weak . There are textless opening and closing themes , and promos for the associated video game and three other anime . Last , and certainly least , is character information ; eight frames of sketches , four of Tsukasa , four of Mimiru . That's it . No text , nothing . While the jewal case insert does have some information , it would have made great sense to talk about The World , it's ground rules , a few things every player knows and reads before entering it . What is a Wavemaster ? How many character classes are there ? What are their attributes and abilities ? Why does Subaru have totally useless looking wings ?
SUMMARY - The severe shortcomings in the ` extras ' department would be enough to drop a star from the rating , but the story and music are strong enough that they overshadow this defect . The DVD is a ` must own ' in my book . If you can get the boxed edition ( which includes the soundtrack , T-shirt , and other extras in a nifty-looking hexagonal box ) it's well worth the extra cost .
001 4 I have seen the entire series and it is one of my favorites , ranking right up there with EVA and Cowboy Bebop . It's very easy to give too much of the story away , but basically pretend you are playing a MMORPG one day , and you go to logout , but can't . That's the start of the story for Tsukasa . However it develops a great deal from there and is never boring , a downfall of many series . I couldn't wait to see the next episode , and I had to limit myself to watching one a day to keep myself from blowing through it in a weekend .
The storyline overall is serious and dramatic , but not excessively . There is no sappy high school lovestory to suffer through , no horribly shallow characters . If you liked Lain , EVA , and Cowboy Bebop , I think you will like this one to . Subaru is by far my favorite character , while all the others are well done and fit in their roles nicely . The animation is very good .
The music gets it's own paragraph . It's simply outstanding . I often found myself ignoring the dialogue just to listen to amazing songs like Fake Wings . That soundtrack included with this set will not just be a filler I promise you .
I don't do many reviews but I felt I just had to for this one . Many people probably haven't heard of this one yet and aren't sure if they would like it . This is an outstanding series and this box set looks like a great deal .
002 4 I heard of . hack from Cartoon Network , pre-debut and got very excited . An anime that takes place in an MMORPG ( mass multiplayer online role playing game ) ? This sounds like a really great idea ! I was further pleased to find it had a real twist to it , and not just staged within the game . Tsukasa , our ' hero ' , can't log out of the game for some reason , and has lost his body to the game . The World , the game everyone's playing in this anime , is a beautiful world displayed with fantastic artwork . It's however not enough to have the visual effect however . The music , done by someone Yuki Kajiura , someone ive never heard of before but rivals Yoko Kanno herself , is fantastic and makes the soundtrack alone worth holding back on getting that last DVD of Cowboy Bebop . The only reason i can't give it 5 stars is because the character build so far doesn't seem to be going very far . That doesn't mean it's not an amazing series , cause it is ! I think it just needs a bit more time . Perhaps by the 3rd dvd things will heat up . The package comes with a box for all your . hack dvds , a soundtrack with 19 tracks , 2 postcards , one sheet of stickers , a Grunty doll ( coolest stuffed animal ive ever seen ) , a . hack t-shirt ( XL ) and the DVD with the first 5 episodes dubbed OR subbed . Not bad at all if you ask me . The dvd , soundtrack , and t-shirt should be worth over $ ( . . . ) as it is , so there's no questioning the value , and believe me I've checked : Amazon ( . com ) has it the cheapest . Places like discountanimedvd have it marked for at least 53 . Take away shipping as well cause you can get it free here , and you're saving around $ ( . . . ) by buying it through amazon . ( com ) Not bad if you ask me . I cant wait to see more .
003 4 Very first off , Amazon.com incorrectly state that . hack / / SIGN is based on a PlayStation2 game . This is not true . . hack / / SIGN is a story about an online PC game called THE WORLD . The direct sequel to . hack / / SIGN is a PlayStation2 game called . hack / / INFECTION . Someone at Amazon.com , clearly someone who did not see the series before writing the review , got these points confused and they will not accept corrections of their editorial review , just the title and some technical details .
First off let me preface this by saying I don't like Anime . Usually it is too silly , too violent , or too adult for me , so I'd never been into an Anime series before . . . it had kind of a medieval look to it , so that interested me . Plus , this friend of mine had told me basically what it was about ; an online RPG where one user can't log out . So when I had the first episode , I watched it , and I liked it . I ended up watching the whole 26 episodes , in Japanese , with English subtitles , translated and captioned by fans .
Being my first Anime experience , I realized one major difference between cartoons and this Anime is that while cartoons are self containing - that is , you don't have to see them in order , and the plot starts at the beginning and ends at the end of each episode . Kind of like Star Trek was , only no multi-part episodes . ; ) Rather , Hack Sign was like an 8 hour 40 minute animated superfeature , with ending and opening themes inserted every 20 minutes .
Before I point out some of the flaws in the series , let me point out that the objectives in making a successful film script are radically different between an 8 hour 40 minute script and a 2 - 3 hour script . That said , character development is unusually slow . The characters very slowly reveal themselves , but then again , it is an online video game , and people on the Net like to be anonymous except with businesses and close friends . Also , while it was happening , the plot was somewhat hard to follow . A lot of scenes were unnecessary and redundant . One episode was a recap episode which was highlights from the ones previous . Correction . 8 hour 20 minute animated superfeature . It's still longer than the original Star Wars Trilogy . ; ) And more fun to watch , I must say .
Most of what Hack Sign is about , I've already covered . I can't reveal too much about the story without spoiling it , and that is even more so true with this DVD that contains only the first 5 episodes . By themselves , the first 5 episodes will leave a new Hack Sign fan more disappointed than the end of Fellowship of the Ring did . They should have put the whole series on one or two DVDs . If you want to see the whole story , you'll have to collect all the DVDs . With 26 episodes , there should be 5 DVDs . I doubt Bandai will be stupid enough to market a DVD #6 with only Episode 26 on it and maybe some bomb special features , but sadly enough I confess I'd buy it , especially as the last episode is the best one . : )
As far as the special edition . You can get the DVD with the episodes for $ . . . most places , more if you go to a mall . This is . . . more than that , but it is such a great deal . The first thing you see when you open the box from Amazon.com is the air padding . Yep ! Better than bubble wrap , you get air padding . Those are always fun to have around . No , seriously , the first thing is the black hexagonal box . It is a very sturdy box , made of thick cardboard , with high quality prints on all sides , Three of the sides say . hack / / SIGN and the other 3 have character animations . When you open the box , which is held shut with an elastic band and a lilte mushroom post , the first gift you see is the Grunty plush . He's about 4 long and 2 - 3 tall and wide . He doesn't stand on all four legs well , as he's rather front-heavy , but it can be done . Next you get a nice envelope which contains stickers , and three postcards you'd be a fool to nail . Mine are up on my wall , taped on the back so they don't get damaged . After that , a demo disc of Hack Infection , the PlayStation2 sequel for Hack Sign . Next , the first Soundtrack to . hack / / SIGN complete with lyrics and artwork . There is a second Soundtrack and an Extra soundtrack which contains instrumentals and remixes , but these are not included . I have HEARD that Soundtrack 2 will ship with the second set of episodes , which will be great because both are awesome albums , and funny enough , I don't typically like Anime music either ! Next is the DVD itself , which contains 5 episodes , the textless ( no credit overlays ) opening and closing themes , previews for three unrelated Animes , a video preview of the Playstation2 game , and most interestingly of all , you can watch the episodes in not only English and Japanese , but the Instrumental Score as well which is NO lines , NO sound effects , JUST the music ! It's cool ! Throw the English subtitles on so you know what they're saying , and enjoy ! Finally , there is a T-shirt ( mine was Size XL ) with . hack / / SIGN on the front , and Mimiru on the back with Bear and Tsukasa in the background .
If you like Hack Sign , I strongly recommend getting this . If you don't know Hack Sign yet , you really should get this because it's the complete set and everything in it is above and beyond awesome . . . I was very happy with Amazon on this deal ! Thanks again Amazon !
004 4 First , I'll admit , . hack / / SIGN is getting some of the best limited edition treatment I've ever seen . This box and its load of extras is sure to be highly coveted by anime fans and DVD collectors . In particular , I think the soundtrack is a great extra , as . hack has excellent music .
Now the bad news . . . Unfortunately , these episodes failed to hook me on the series . I haven't seen the whole series yet , so I don't know if the pace of the story improves later on ; but right now it seems a bit tedious . It's also possible that the series is a little less accessible to people who don't play online RPG games . I've ventured into online RPGs only briefly , and found the format not to my liking . Though I've heard from people who do play them regularly , that the interactions in . hack / / SIGN are fairly typical of that genre .
So far , the series seems heavy on the dialogue , and the characters spend a lot of time wandering around the game world conversing , theorizing , spreading rumors , etc . . . It's obvious that some pains are being taken to set up a mystery that will ( hopefully ) define the plot as the series progresses . Though , unfortunately , it currently lacks the sense of intrigue that makes mystery so exciting .
On the positive note , I agree with everyone who praised the character design and animation quality . It is excellent , and it makes . hack good entertainment , even if it's not the most accessible story .
If you're weighing whether or not to purchase this series , I'll admit , it is tempting - - especially for the limited edition extras . However , not knowing how well it develops , there are enough caveats here that you may want to spend your anime budget elswhere . Personally , I would recommend Serial Experiments Lain , if you want something computer / internet themed ; or Berserk if you want serious fantasy with strong intrigue .
005 4 One of my favorite shows of all time ; though I do admit , its strange . I love the goodies ! I'll never wear the shirt - - I'm gonna frame it . ^ - ^
The music is awesome - - in my opinion . I didn't really need the soundtrack but hey I got it anyway .
This is totally worth the money .
The only problem I have with the . hack series is its length :
. hack / / Sign Anime ( 26 episodes ; 6 DVD volumes - - I believe ; 3 soundtracks )
. hack Games ( four games ; four OVAs ; 3 ( ? ) soundtracks )
. hack / / Legend of the Twilight Bracelet [ . hack / / Dusk ] ( 12 episodes ; 2 ( ? ) cds [ op and ending singles ] )
so basically , for the . hack experience , you have to be willing to be in it for the long run to fully understand everything . I'm still partially confused in the series , but I have seen all of . hack / / Sign , and have the avalibility to watch . hack / / dusk , which I refuse to watch until I finish the games
So , I you have no knowledge of . hack , and you're willing and able to stay in the series , it IS worth it .
. hack / / SIGN does drag at the begining , but does pick up ; oh did I mention he music is awesome ? ( I know I did ) .
The story is original and doesn't seem like any other series which I have seen . I have yet to decide wheter I would call this series a Sci-fi or a fantasy ( or both ) . Maybe if you wish to know , you can see for yourself .
006 4 I can't even believe how much you get for { the money } in this set . I've enjoyed the anime of . hack / / SIGN on Cartoon Network since it recently debuted , and I especially loved the music , so I actually came looking for just the soundtrack . When I saw that just the soundtrack to the show was around { money } , and then I saw this , it was a no-brainer . With this box set , you get a nice treasure-chest type box ( heavy cardboard with string latch for storage ) , and inside you'll find a very high quality ( XL ) T-shirt , the Volume I DVD ( 5 episodes w / its own nice plastic case and paper inserts ) , the Original Soundtrack ( awesome , awesome music w / plastic case and booklet ) , the little Grunty plush animal , 4 very nice artwork postcards and a card of stickers ( all in a protective clear envelope ) , and a demo of the Playstation 2 game ( which I can't even play since I don't have a PS2 , but I don't care - lol ) .
If you like this show and the music , you can't go wrong with this . It's rare where I find value in anything nowadays , but this price is unbeatable , especially for everything you get . I'm not disappointed , and I'm hoping Volume 2 will continue this tradition ( with shirts focusing on the other characters too - this one focuses on the lead female ) .
007 4 I'm going to cover a number of topics here , including story and extras , but I want to start on what some have mentioned briefly , and that's the music of this series .
Like most TV shows , much good anime treats music as little more than appropriate background sound ( Love Hina , Cowboy Beebop ) . Others give the music a full supporting role in portraying the mood , and is serious music that stands on its own ( Evangelion ) . . hack actually takes the music to another level . When I first saw the series during an anime symposium , the story enticed me , but the music grabbed me , enhancing the story and filling in gaps in my perception of what was going on during the somewhat ( intentionally , I think ) sketchy series of events .
The music does more than just fill in the background or match the mood of what's happening . It actually leads the viewer to feel and understand more of what's going on in the story . In real life , much of what we perceive going on around us is not sensed overtly but is intuitive and contextual in nature . We can't always verbalize logically why we conclude or view things as we do ; we just do . The soundtrack to . hack provides this kind of context to a degree like no other anime I've seen ( disclosure : I am by no means a long-time or deep ` otaku ' type that has seen hundreds of anime , so feel free to take my expansiveness with a grain of salt ) .
Many don't pay such attention to the soundtrack , but unless you're totally unaffected by music , you'll be drawn into The World further and faster than you might expect . I've been waiting for the U.S . release of . hack as much for the music as for the story .
False Wings , which seems to play whenever Subaru is on-screen , is a compelling , mournful Spanish lullaby / love song with simple acoustic guitar and mandolin accompaniment . Key of the Twilight has a new-age rock beat with Spanish and Celtic influences that could have come from Riverdance . The vocals on these songs are the same female voice doing duet or quartet work , and is receded into the instrumentation so as to sound as one of the instruments themselves . Many of the latter tracks are piano works like those found on Narada or Windham Hill disks , but without the minimalist ( ` piano tuner ' ) arrangements .
STORY - Some complain about . hack's slow pacing . This perception may be justified , but I think it's a matter of style preference . Anime is usually formated faster than presented here . The opposite end of the spectrum is Furi Kuri's frenetic pace , exceeding Robin Williams on speed ; so much goes by so fast that you have to watch frame-by-frame to catch everything that's going on . Valium is recommended after the closing credits ( ritalin for the younger crowd . . . ) .
. hack will not interest those who require such sensory overload . But it will find a home with those who like watching a good story in the same manner as curling up in a comfortable chair with a good book . I think this is deliberate . . hack is a bit of a thought piece . The writers want us to take the time to understand The World , the players and their concerns . There's something deeper going on than just the surface action , and a fast pace wouldn't allow us the reflection , observation , and synthesis of events needed to understand the story . Evangelion would not have worked if done in Furi Kuri speed . Neither would . hack . Those who have been involved with role-playing games ( RPGs ) realize that difficulties involving thought , motivation and problem solving are slower ( and often more satisfying ) than the hack-and-slash variety .
And this makes sense . RPGs all have basic rules that everyone knows when they first start play , but it takes awhile to understand how those rules interweave into the game and how characters dance on and around them . Over time , indecipherable rules become clear . After that , we can understand the characters better .
Because of this , it's my impression that . hack has to be approached from a slightly different viewpoint ; we have to realize that what we're seeing is a virtual world . In part , we're like the characters we're watching , observing others , trying to figure out The World , its inhabitants , and how it all works . The characters may or may not resemble anything like their real-world counterparts . We get some occasional reminders of this , like Bear referring to himself as an ` old man ' while Mimiru suggests that you can be anything with a little editing . This is reminiscent of Japanese Theater where ` clappers ' roam the audience making noise to remind them that what's on stage is not real .
So we have to think on two levels at once ; the actions in the virtual world , and how they affected the real world . The characters do interact outside the game , and we wish that we could meet with them as well , because we're curious about who they really are .
EXTRAS - This is where I find the DVD to be quite weak . There are textless opening and closing themes , and promos for the associated video game and three other anime . Last , and certainly least , is character information ; eight frames of sketches , four of Tsukasa , four of Mimiru . That's it . No text , nothing . While the jewal case insert does have some information , it would have made great sense to talk about The World , it's ground rules , a few things every player knows and reads before entering it . What is a Wavemaster ? How many character classes are there ? What are their attributes and abilities ? Why does Subaru have totally useless looking wings ?
SUMMARY - The severe shortcomings in the ` extras ' department would be enough to drop a star from the rating , but the story and music are strong enough that they overshadow this defect . The DVD is a ` must own ' in my book . If you can get the boxed edition ( which includes the soundtrack , T-shirt , and other extras in a nifty-looking hexagonal box ) it's well worth the extra cost .
008 4 For any fan of any online games , everquest online , Dark Age of Camelot , Star Wars Galixies , etc . should feel a twinge of I've done this . : )
As players become more involved in the online personas some feel like Tsukasa and the other chrs .
Ive gotten the DVD and it does have a slow start but this doesnt detract from the enjoyment of the show .
009 4 Because of the way the parts of the ' . hack ' package are being released , I am not sure if this is a series of episodes based on video games , or vice versa . A rather ingenious marketing ploy will probably have many of us buying ' . hack ' releases for some time to come . Fortunately , from what I have seen the producers have spared little expense in creating a quality product . Therefore , other than the amount we will be out of pocket , there is very little to complain about .
The episodes start out with the appearance of Tsukasa , a wave master ( whatever that is ) in the virtual game universe called ' The World . ' Tsukasa is different from ordinary players . He remembers little of the past , seems unbound by The World's game rules , has a monster as a defense system , and is haunted by a cat figure that the powers to be consider an illegal avatar . It is the last that puts him at odds with Lady Subaru and the Crimson Knights ( player / sysops ) , and for that matter with almost everyone else . Oh , lest I forget , Tsukasa cannot log off .
There is a wide breadth of characters , from nasties like BT and Sora , to more sympathetic player . In the latter camp the two most interesting are Bear , a shamanic figure and Mimiru , a swordswoman who develops an interest in Tsukasa . Our hero is an ambivalent character , possessing a bit too much attitude for his own good . Especially when he is attracting attention as a source of trouble and mystery . Rumor has it that a special item hidden in the game world has been discovered , and many think that the wave master has it .
As a production , ' . hack ' is beautiful . The designers have created a genuinely lovely dungeons and dragons world . And than peopled it with the interesting and attractive characters created by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto , spooky monsters , and the usual assortment of lovable geeks . Music by Yuki Kajiura is equal to the setting , making this the beginning of a story that promises to fascinate and delight repeatedly . A winner for sure . Absolutely try to get the Limited Edition Boxed Set , which comes complete with t-shirt , critter , and a sample disk of the game release .
011 4 . Hack / / SIGN is a anime like no other . Where it shines is it's storyline . It's magnificent , you'll be scared on how far you get into it . It's about a online game called The World , the players who play this game , and Tsukasa , A character which seems to be doing impossible things within the game and the worse thing is he doesnt know why he's able to do it . The problems he goes through and the the thoughts of his situation , not being able to log out , being able to do things within the game which no one else can do , and above all this , to remember who he really is . Little by little you find out about the characters relation in game to the real world , why they play the game , what they truly play the game for . Most of them play to get away from the evil , greed , sadness , and limitations that the real world has to offer . You follow these characters and you really get to know there personalities , each incredibly different than the other . If you're looking for something new and totally different , than I suggest you watch this anime . It's a once in a lifetime experience , it truly is . The music and animation is incredible also . It's so odd how the music fits the anime so perfectly . You'll be in total awe of . Hack
5 / 5 *
012 4 Alright , this limited edition set comes with alot of stuff . I'm going to split it up .
The box : Unlike any anime boxset ever . It's in a weird , 3 dimensional haxagon shape . It has art of characters an 3 of the sides , and the logo on the other 3 sides , so that however you turn it , you can see some charcters and the logo . This box is something that connot be described in words , though , to be honest .
The T shirt : Well , this is a pretty nice little shirt . On the front , you have the . hack / / SIGN logo . On the back is Mimiru , with Tsukasa in the background . Very nice . My only problem with it is , though , is that the size is XL . Much too big for me , but I wear it to bed or around the house .
The soundtrack : Simply beautifull . I have been listening to it non stop since I got it . Some of the best anime music around , the only anime music I enjoy more is in Cowboy Bebop . I can't wait for more . hack / / SIGN music in the upcoming limited edition sets .
The postcards and stickers : Well , you have stickers of Tsukasa , Mimiru , bear , BT , and a Crimson Knight . I don't know what I will do with them , but I'm sure I'll find something . The postcards are very nice looking , I'll probably never use them , though .
The . hack / / INFECTION PS2 game demo : If you haven't played the game , this is a good way to find out whether you want it or not . The game takes place after the anime is over , so you might want to wait untill you see all of the anime .
The Grunty plush toy : Well , it's very cute ! A bit small , but very cute . It looks great sitting next to my . hack / / SIGN box .
And finally , what you've been waiting for . . .
. . . The DVD ! : It all takes place in an online game called The World . It is an MMORPG , or massive multiplayer online role playing game . It stars a player called Tsukasa , a Wavemaster . For some reason , he is unable to logout , or quit , The World . He is stuck inside the game . He meets some interesting players , like Mimiru , a energetic girl with a big sword , Bear , a nice old man who is pretty smart ( also has a big sword ) , BT , another wavemaster , but a girl , Subaru , the leader of the Crimson Knights , and the Crimson Knights , who try to stop cheaters and other people doing illegal things in The World . The audio and video quality are wonderful , and the anamorphic widescreen is quite nice .
So , that's it . Buy it now , it says limited edition for a reason . And the Amazon.com price is great , definately worth it . I hope this review has helped anyone who is undecided on whether to buy this or not .
013 4 I gotta admit . I thought . hack was all hype . Until I saw it .
The beginning went slow . . but then suddenly I became captivated with it . The whole idea of the series taking place entirely inside of an online RPG is even more interesting than it sounds . Ever play one of your RPGs and think This is so good . . I kinda wish it were an anime . ? Well that's kinda what . hack / / SIGN is . . . and if you don't like watching it , you can always invest your money in the . hack video game series for PS2 instead .
You will , however , find a lot of the series to be more dialogue-driven than action-driven . If all you want is to see the characters whacking each other with swords , then you might as well get the video game series instead .
The main story in . hack / / SIGN focuses on a mysterious character in the game named Tsukasa . He's unsocial , isolated , and pretty darn annoying . All he wants is for everyone to leave him alone . Then one day he tries to log out of the online world he's playing in , but he can't ! That's only the beginning of all sorts of bizarre happenings that go on with Tsukasa . Bizarre happenings that were thought to be impossible inside The World where the game is played . Everything Tsukasa does seems to override the system , and nobody knows why . Could he have acquired a powerful legendary item which was previously thought to be nothing more than fiction ?
If a unique plot and gorgeous animation aren't enough to win you over , Yuki Kajiura's amazing musical score will . When you buy the Limited Editions of the first 3 . hack DVDs , you'll get all the OSTs from . hack / / SIGN along with them . Great deal , if you ask me . ( Especially if you chose to buy the Vol 1 L.E . Box set , which is exploding with awesome goodies and is worth every cent you spend on it . )
. hack's character designs are wonderful , which is only to be expected from Yoshiyuki Sadamoto , who is one of my personal favorite artists . Sadamoto is the writer and illustrator of the Evangelion manga , as well as the character designer for Evangelion and Nadia , two of Gainax's most popular anime series of all time .
014 4 All I can say is this series made me not want to avoid anime . I am currently taking a break from Cowboy Bebop , for personal and financial reasons , and even tried to avoid this series .
But thanks to Newtype USA , and other things . . . I was sucked into the series .
Some may have given it a bad review , but it just shows that they are only suited for quick-paced series . And they are also not meant for games like EverQuest and Dark Ages of Camelot .
. hack / / SIGN is just one part of an entire story . It just covers one of the mysteries inside The World . This series happens sometime before . hack / / Infection , which is why they say you can spot Tsukasa in that PS2 series . . hack , all 4 parts of the PS2 game series , and . hack / / Liminality go during the same time . The OVA series ( Liminality ) happens in the real world . And then there is the yet-to-be-published manga series . . .
. hack / / SIGN belongs with other series , in this genre . This includes Disney's Tron , and the three Matrix movies .
I do not recommend this series to everybody . Especially those who are not too patient to enjoy the developing plot . But all-in-all , it is very enjoyable . Not perfect , but enjoyable .
Plus . . . I recommend it for those who are into philosophy . There is some video game philosophy . Like when Bear says he wonders what happens to the world he was playing in , when he would reset the game . And those who like the fact that it's about fictional people playing as fictional characters .
So watch the series on Toonami first . And after you do , go rent Tron . . . and compare the two . So until then , ja-na !
015 4 There are some animes that won't appeal to everyone . This is without a doubt one of them .
It is based around an online RPG . I love this show , but hate online RPGs , so you don't really need to like massive online role playing games in order to enjoy the show . Still , it will help if you like RPGs in general . There is a definate RPG feel to the show .
Many argue that the plot moves too slow and that it is boring in the beggining . The other major gripe about the show is the lack of action . If you are into action animes , this will not be of your liking . This anime is to make you think about video games and RPGs .
If you like something that will make you ponder life , but is not heavy , then this is worth checking out . I reccomend the game and its OAV for those who like the concept but like action . For those of you who like thinking but want heavy stuff , check out Lain .
Another problem with this show is that you have to pay complete attention to it while watching or you will be lost .
The animation is also top notch . It is bright and clear . Very well done . The music is also some of the best I have heard out of any anime .
Plus , you cannot deny the almighty power of the stuff you get with this box set . I never seen a sweeter deal for an anime in my life . The extras are excellent . To be truthful , I came here to order the game . Then I saw this and just had to get this . This box set is great for any fan of the show .
In concluion , I would try watching on episode somewhere before you purchase this because the show is an acquired taste . Still , if this is your style , you will be hooked like I am .
017 4 I have seen the fan subs for this series as they were being released in japan . I was amazed with the characters , plot , music and so on . One thing i would sugest while watching this series is pay attention to alot of the little things and the music . After watching the series the second time through , i noticed how well the series was put together . The first episode sets up the entire story . Theres so much i want to say but if i do it would ruin the entire story for you .
This is a series more towards gamers in my opinion but even if you arnt a gamer its a great series and im so glad that they brought it over quickly . With the release of . hack / / dusk in japan and the games taking of well in japan , this series will hopfully take off well in the USA .
Im glad to see two great series being brought over this year , Noir and.hack / / sign
018 4 Have you ever wondered what it was like to be Mario's world ? To be able to live in the game for awhile ? Add more people and this would describe what dotHack has to offer . The name of the game is The World and they are able to act just like it was a real world . But , something disturbing has happened . Tsukasa , having an extra ordinary gift , is causing confusion and chaos among the top players and the administrators . However , the only thing Tsukasa is worried about is trying to log out of the game .
The story is given the five stars , because it has some amazing twists . I was very surprised when I first watched the movie .
To rate the DVD itself , I would give it four stars . The music over powers a lot of the movie and it is hard to hear some of the dialog . This shouldn't stop you from buying it . It just took me to turn up my TV on some parts .
Conclusion . If you like anime , played an Massive Multilayer Game Online , like video games , or curious about the whole plot , then this DVD is for you .
019 4 I say that because , despite having its own release on Playstation 2 , . hack / / Sign is really based on those other addictive games , Everquest and Ultima Online . The plot involves a What if ? question about someone's consciousness , brought totally into the virtual world . While this concept has been explored before , in movies as far back as Disney's TRON . It takes on a much different form here . Consequently , we can almost emphasize with the predicament , and problems of the central character .
People love a mystery , and that's a big part of these types of video games . It's easy to believe the people represented , would want to find out more about this person . Even to the point where some of them , start to explore this in the outside ( real ) world . In this case , the real world is the real world of the anime setting , and not actually the real world . Confusing ? Yes , but that's what a good thought piece is all about .
The anime explores video game obsession in detail , and the various characters that populate a game world like this . One of the great things is how the series can reveal so much about a real character , when all we see is their game persona . Less than one percent of its total running time is devoted to little glimpses of the real world . Yet , knowing about each character from the game , that small glimpse reveals their innermost motivations . The moment we see who the character is in real life , we know the answers . Those answers we've been seeking , to questions we have been asking ourselves , questions about that character we met in the virtual world .
I think this is very close to the way things go on in these games . The representative characters are all there , the player killer ( PK ) , the rule enforcers , the warrior heroes , the magic users , the strategists , and others just tying to find their own way . We are not shown much about the characters behind the computer . We see the game character . That character emotes with verbal , and non-verbal expressions , which illustrate the emotions of the actual player . That's good , because it would be pretty boring , if they acted exactly like characters in these games .
My rating loses one star , because the series is a little too slow for some fans . It would have benefited from a little more screen time on the reality side . Once those characters are revealed , we just want to know more about the real person . Like a lot of anime series , this one leaves a lot of holes in the ending , loose ends not neatly tied up . They did make a 27th episode after the first ending to try and clarify some of that .
020 4 The premise of the story is fun , engaging , captivating and brilliantly executed !
Taking place mostly in an online / everquest-like world , combined with quick flashes to the ' real-world , ' help to create characters with incredible depth that you grow to care about .
It takes many twists and turns as you spiral towards an incredible ending . . . Which I can't tell you about , of course !
The MUSIC and the animation are supurb ! You'll want to go out and get the soundtrack ASAP ( BT's theme ) is my favorite . And who knew something called a grunty could become endearing ! ! ! But it will - - watch all 25 ephisodes ! ! ! One of the best ANIME series I have ever come seen ( and I own a ton ) !
021 4 ok , i was told from alot of people that this is a great show and it really is ! . hack / / sign is a great show it is about a growing online game . it takes place in the world then when Tsukasa can not logout he is stuck in the world and is gratnted a misterious power . The show has great music and amation . the DVD contains eps . 1 - 5 and a preview for the great RPG video game . the goods are great to the shirt is XL so fits all . a grerat soundtrack , a cute stuffed animal of a kool animal in the game , and 4 postcards and a sticker sheet . and inclued to all dat u get a demo for the game . ! WARNING ! this show ( from wat i have seen ) is not dirty or violent it is mostly talking so if u like that kinda stuff get it if not stay away
022 4 I really want to like this series . I have been watching Anime for about 15 years now and I have been playing EverQuest for 3 years . The production of . hack / / Sign is top notch , and I like the story . However I tend to look too deeply into things , and my biggest beef whis this is the characters in this do not move and react like MMORPG characters . Granted , if they did it would be a REALLY boring show . I have kind of resolved it in my mind that is kind of like the Apollo 13 movie . . the events that actually happened , while exciting , would be [ bad ] to watch because there was no real production , where the movie of Apollo 13 told the story of the events with dramatic license . That makes me look at this anime as dramatic retelling of the events , that way you can have characters sitting on a wall talking , or showing facial expression . But overall , I like the story : )
023 4 This show is wonderful - from the first time I saw it I was instantly hooked . The music , the plot , the characters - everything about this anime is wonderful . When I heard about the Limited Edtion box set I was excited to get my hands on it . Although the Cartoon Network version is a bit un-fullfilling compared to the orginal - they still did a good job with it - but I recomend viewing the orginal . . .
024 4 This is one of the few anime that I've seen where the series is almost entirely dialogue driven . Despite the large swords and spears and such , you won't see them used much . Regardless , the characters are incredibly deep as the story evolves into something much deeper than you'll imagine .
This anime , taking place prior to the events in the PS2 game , is an excellent introduction to the . hack series . Don't get me wrong though , this anime is NOT just a long commercial for a video game . Standing on it's own it is one of the most powerful anime out there . Every episode is just dripping with emotion , from total despair , to total happiness .
I should also note that the music , performed wonderfully by the talented Yuki Kajiura , is simply incredible . It was the music alone that made me want to see this anime so badly .
Still , it is not for everyone . If you want hope to see all kinds of action and explosions and whatnot , look away . But if you want a mature story with depth and emotion , then this is for you .
025 4 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 .
026 4 . hack has one of the most interesting storylines in the anime world . Even if you do not like anime that much you should definetly check this out . In the episodes it is so hard to figure out what is going to happen next . Usualy you won't realize something till the end of the episode . I am not going to give away anything away but I will say that there is some wierd stuff going on in this online game . . . . . . . . . .
027 4 The plot premise of Hack seems a little thin at first glance . A boy is trapped in an online multiplayer interactive RPG . He need his friends to help him get out . Tron , anyone ? But upon viewing this first disc of the series hack / / : SIGN , there is something very intriguing about this series . THere is something very Matrix-like about it . I was instantly hooked , as I suspect many other people are . I cannot wait to watch the second volume .
The animation is standard Saturday morning , yet is oddly beautiful with all the varied backgrounds and colors . The characters are fascinating . So much has yet to be revealed . I greatly preferred the English dub to the original Japanese voice actors . English just seemed to fit better .
028 4 In the near future , virtual reality technology is perfected , resulting in the ultimate roleplaying games . The most popular of these is The World .
One day , a frightened young boy appears , accompanied by a mysterious creature that attacks anything trying to harm or restrain him . His name is Tsukasa , and he says that he cannot log out of the game and can physically feel everything happening to him in The World .
A handful of seasoned players tries to reach out and help him - Mimiru , an outgoing young girl with enough self-confidence for both of them ; her friend Bear , a warmhearted man with a strong paternal streak ; Bear's associate B.T . , a beautiful , ice-cool woman playing so many cards even she must have trouble keeping track of them and Lady Subaru , a compassionate young woman who founded the Crimson Knights - an informal order of rule enforcers working in unison with system administration to keep the game pleasant and fair and who's highly respected in spite of her realatively low experience level due to her distaste for fighting . Also joining them on occasion are Crim , a nice friend of Subaru's who perhaps has the healthiest attitude towards the game and Sora , a witty but rather nasty manchild who tails them when he's not being tolerated for his connections to a legendary hacker and whose purpose in life seems to be to push the otherwise mellow Crim's buttons ( remember that kid you couldn't stand in grade school ? That's Sora . . . ) .
At first , Tsukasa's dilemma is an interesting mystery , but things become more serious as they discover that The World might not be as disconnected from reality as most of them believe . . .
The series has many strong points . The World itself is beautiful , with breathtaking and imaginative color and landscaping . The soundtrack is incredible and adds alot to the series . The character designs are funky and fun . Most of all , this isn't just another adventure . It's the people behind these roleplaying characters that's the real story as we learn who they really are , most of them trying to either avoid the real world or find something that they're not getting in their real lives . Part of the fun ( and drama ) is putting together the clues , such as Bear roughly dating himself with strong hints that he belonged to the early Dungeons & Dragons crowd or the first hints , besides his speech and mannerisms , of Sora's real age as he has to occasionally leave abruptly due to his online time being monitored and curtailed . By the end , the various truths we slowly learn about them range from moving to sometimes disturbing . This is a story for grownups , with some interesting moral discussions .
It's not perfect , however . The first half in particular is slow moving even by the standards of the very tolerant . There's a recap episode - which is inexcusable considering this isn't a long series . Finally , to really appreciate it you have to understand online roleplaying or at least how roleplaying and computers work in general - so this isn't for everyone .
If this sounds like it's for you , though , jump right in . At an extremely reasonable six volumes , you can't go that wrong if you have leanings towards fantasy .
029 4 . hack / / sign is only one part of Bandai's dot hack project . Spanning an anime , games , and a manga series , the story told in . hack is a long one .
. hack / / sign tells the story of Tsukasa , a boy stuck in the online game , the World . The anime takes place entirely in this game , and follows Tsukasa's tale . The story is very slow , but is highly entertaining . The music is wonderful as well , and you may very well stop paying attention to the story just to listen to the music .
To truly get the whole story however , you may want to play the PS2 games as well . . hack / / infection is the first game , and takes place around the same time as . hack / / sign . I would reccomend playing the first volume of the game first before watching the anime , as that will give you a better idea of what is going on in the show .
If you enjoy online games , fantasy , or anime in general , then . hack / / sign is perfect for you .
030 4 It's hard to make sense of the series ( especially in the beginning ) without knowing some context from the PS2 games . Once you can figure out what's going on , it's easy to get into the show . This is a great show , but please , do some research first or you'll probably hate it .
031 4 This Box Set is one of the best I have ever seen . Fan of . Hack will love all the stuff that comes with it . The soundtrack is awsome ! It's better to buy this set , the soundtrack alone is about $ [ . . . ] ! If your a person who loves non-stop fighting then . Hack isn't for you . If your a person who loves good stories and great characters then check . Hack / / Sign out . ; )
032 4 It's all fun and games till somebody losses a soul .
That's the premise of . hack / / SIGN . There's millions of people playing the ultimate online RPG called The World . The players are running around having a good time oblivious to the fact that for one player this is no longer a game and is now life threateningly real .
The series opens with the main character Tsukasa waking up in a cave with a case of partial amnesia . He eventually realizes that his consciousness is trapped inside The World and that's he's very powerful and uncontrollable . From there we start to meet the rest of the cast of characters , learn the rules of The World and try to figure out what's going on .
This is a series that takes it's time revealing things to you and can be a bit confusing at times . The main character doesn't understand what's happening to him and he has to figure everything out from scratch . Imagine if you were thrown into a world that is completely different from what you are use to , with little idea of who you are or who you can trust . Add to that the people you are dealing with are all more or less playing make-believe and you can see how confusing it would all be . The viewer at least gets to see flashes of the real world and the characters inner musings / memories to give us clues into who the various people really are and what their motives might be . As the main character slowly finds his way through The World , there's a general feeling of mystery and after awhile a feeling of dread . There's definitely something malevolent laying just under the surface of The World .
This is a series all about characterization and plot . There's very little violence or action and sex is only alluded to . Mostly what goes on is people sitting around talking to each other . Personally , I like these people , they remind me of people I know . They keep my interest by being believable , even if the situations they are in are not . While watching this you need to pay attention to what they are saying because they are constantly dropping clues and most of what's going on won't be clear until you watch the whole series .
While all this talking is going on we have absolutely gorgeous animation to look at and amazing music to listen to . The artistic style of the series might not work for everyone . It reminds me of impressionism and realism thrown together . I will admit that at times it feels like they add music for the heck of it instead of trying to match it to the scenes taking place . But the music is so good you'll just be glad they found a way to fit it in .
By the time you get done watching the 5th episode you will either care about the characters and want to know what's behind the mystery or you will have lapsed into a coma from boredom . Which is why it might be a better idea to rent or borrow the 1st DVD if you have not already seen some of this series . I saw the first few episodes and was hopelessly addicted to everything about it and will be buying all the dvds and soundtrack cds .
033 4 I dont really have much to say besides . Hack , in my opinyon is a great series . There has been lots of complaints about . Hack's slow moving pace and how there is not as much action as in most other anime . But personlly i think this is all part of . Hacks unique charm .
The DVD exras arnt much to be impressed by , there about whats on almost every Anime DVD i own . ( and im teling you thats alot ) with the exception of some . But this is all i have to complane about . . and im not complaning !
Also , the Music of . Hack / / Sign is awsome ! and the soundtrack ( s ) are definatly worth adding to your collection ! ( but of coarse this is my opinyon )
And as far as charaters go , i was extreamly pleased , each charater is developed in such a way that you could relate to them . . . And I was glad to see a strong willed Female charater ( mimiru ) instead of the whiney girl who cant take care of herself . Ok . . now we come to Tsukasa . . . . . Tsukasa . . . . there are mixed feelings about Tsukasa , some people like him . . . others cant stand him . I do have to admit he is not a very motivated charater he is always depressed and he just wants people to leave him alone , so hes not exactally pushing the story along . Tsukasa can also be kind of selfish and perhaps a little spoiled . Sure hes a little whiney and would rather sit in a dark corner and mope in his own misery all day then acctally get out and do something . . . . I found that Tsukasa was growing on me . . . to tell you the truth hes grown to be my favorite charater in the whole serise . And after all , he's got pleanty of things to be sad about .
034 4 This review is from :
. hack / / SIGN - Vol . 1 : Login ( DVD )
got what i wanted , and it was in good condition , not much mroe to say
035 4 got what i wanted , and it was in good condition , not much mroe to say
037 4 This is a truly peice of art , it's worth every penny . Get this now .
the story is sooo out of here , creative and geniwine . If you see this i bet you anything that you'll get hooked and by the video game which is also great . Ths stuff that come with this set are amazing , you could buy the DVD alone but you don't know what you're missing .
Get ready to login to the most succesful online game ever ! The World is now played by millions of people across the globe . players can trade items , form parties and go on quests .
But none of that concerns Tsukasa . all he wants to do is logout.But he can't . For some reason he's trapped within the world . He gains some unique forbidon abilities and can't seem to get enough trouble .
Imagine if such a thing happens to you ? stuck in a game . this captivating Anime is gurenteed fun and enjoyment . You so darn lucky to find one of those rare sets available on-line . Animenation.com sold out of this item before it even got released ! ! so buy it now .
038 4 I have to admit , the beginning of this series is great . The music is amazing and the story is continuous enough to keep you interested . When I watched it I was definitely hooked ; it's so different . In addition all of the extras you get with the limited edition make it a perfect addition to any anime lover's collection .
Unfortunately , unless Bandai does some major editing to the dialogue the story slows down a lot more than it already has as the series continues . It does have a lot of depth to it , but the main storyline moves really slowly . ie . for every episode where something important happens there are at least 4 episodes where nothing does .
039 4 I dont understand how anyone could give this less than a 5 out of 5 ! What more could you want in an anime series ? The animation is awesome , the storyline is great and the T-shirt that comes with the set is cool as hell ! It doesnt have as much action as most series , but doesnt that get kind of old after a while ?
040 4 since I've seen an anime this good hit our shores . This anime kept me entranced from the moment I began watching . The story just grips you in and doesn t let go ( which isn't surprising really considering it was scripted by Kazunori Ito ( Ghost in the Shell ) . The artwork itself for the series is extremely well done with nice vivid colors and great character designs , which were done by famed illustrator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto ( Neon Genesis Evangelion ) . As for the music , it was so good that at times I felt it was awe-inspiring . The music is timed ( flawlessly I might add ) to fit the current mood and / or event . I usually don't take much notice when it comes to the music in an anime but when I heard the music to / / sign I noticed right away that much time and effort was put into creating a really good musical score for the series . To sum it up this DVD is simply breathtaking and a must have for any anime fans out there . You won't be disappointed .
041 4 I personally have seen the whole series and I have to say I personally liked it a lot . But that being said , I am a little eccentric . The fights in this series is to a minimum and they aren't that flashy or spectacular . But that isn't what this series is about . Note , it isn't called DBZ . The plot does move but it's very slow and when things happen someone does not exactly point it out . Everyone has their own goals . I personally liked it more than Neon Genesis Evangelion . The music is also great . The reason I don't give it 5 stars is because I don't think some people will enjoy it at all because it isn't at all typical / it's more of a drama then an action series which you figure it would be ( A lot of the characters have big weapons ) . I recommend you first rent the DVD then figure out if you like it or not .
042 4 Luckily , . hack starts off beautifully and intrigues the viewer right away . Unfortunately , by the time the entire series finishes , you'll be left with a plot with more holes than Afghan , in addition to having had the rug pulled out from under you . A four star Vol . 1 indeed , but a three star series because of the ending .
Like the first 3 / 4 of this series , Vol . 1 opens in mid-action : young Tsukasa wakes up sprawled face down on the ground in a cave next to a staff . A young girl named Mimiru happens upon the cave and Tsukasa , who abruptly transports out in a column of golden rings . Mimiru and her friends - - an older man named Bear and a shady blonde woman named B.T . - - soon find out that Tsukasa isn't quite like anyone else in their world .
Their world is The World , an online gaming community accessed by goggles on the user end , allowing for a much fuller experience of a dimension with millions upon millions of users . Users gain points in wisdom , fighting and defense by going through events or missions that the game offers , such as solving puzzles or defeating monsters . People can die in The World ; they must simply re-log on if they are killed in the game , but lose the entire day's worth of experience points . None of this is explicitly stated in the anime ; you're well off reading the back of the DVD or reviews that tell you what is going on . Also , a reasonable amount of knowledge concerning computer terms are needed ( talk of servers , illegal and backed up data , and message boards , etc . ) . Just imagine The World as a gigantic online community with numerous chat rooms ; no one is who they seem - - women can sign on as men , adults as children , etc . This is also true with Tsukasa - - it's good to watch the series keeping in mind that he could very well be a she or the other way around .
Tsukasa differs from all the other players in that he cannot log out of the world . He can also do many things that others cannot - - move throughout The World without using the usual gateways , and access areas that others cannot or do not even know exist . One particular place he returns to holds a sleeping child floating above a bed , with a floating Teddy bear , and a voice that tells him to stay and that it will protect him . Many people soon begin looking for Tsukasa , who is armed with a powerful guardian / monster , for both good and bad reasons . The Crimson Knights search for him to stop his non-conformity ; their leader , Lady Subaru , searches for him out of curiosity . A powerful villain and player killer named Sora , also wants to ally with Tsukasa , who , unfortunately , is extremely shy .
The series goes on following the quest to find out who Tsukasa is , why he / she is trapped in The World , and what is the Key of the Twighlight , if it does exist .
The art is beautiful , in the new style manifesting itself in series like Gasaraki and Full Metal Panic : smooth , non-liney art , cleanly integrated with CG effects . The music is . . . different . It's a mix between techno-pop and Celtic choir music , with a touch of Olde England minstrels thrown in . It's not bad , actually , but the timing and use is pretty bad . Sometimes , the music plays and plays and plays , too loudly at times , even during conversations or moments where no music , or sadder music would be appropriate . The English version doesn't differ too much from the Japanese version , except that the Japanese translations are a lot deeper than the English versions .
As many have said , it moves at an extremely slow pace , with plenty of talking and philosophizing , and the occassional fight and flashes of the characters functioning in the real world . The slow pace does allow the characters to develop much more than in most series . Nearly all of the characters presented have deep , strong personalities .
Negatives ? Also has to do with character development . By the time you crack to the last half to 1 / 4 of the series , so many questions are posed that aren't answered . Similarly , characters are introduced but not fleshed out : Maho , a silent cat that follows and helps Tsukasa ; the two legendary master heavy swordsmen , one of whom makes a singular appearance in the series ; and even the main villain isn't fully fleshed out . Maybe this goes along with the fact that the video game it's based on continues on into more series . The ending ? Your thought process will go : ah , okay , sweet , good , nice . . . what the ? Keep watching during the credits and you will be pleased and disappointed all in the span of one minute . Depending on when and how a continuation to this series takes place ( if it does ) , it could be great . If it stops here , then it's pretty nasty .
Still , I highly recommend watching it , better with the expectation that the ending provides as much closure as it creates questions . Know that , know some computer terminology , and have an open mind , and . hack can be a pleasurable experience . If they finish it right .
043 4 A friend told me to watch . Hack because I love online roleplaying games and enjoy anime style art which pretty much sums . Hack up . You watch characters in a roleplaying fantasy game interact with a mysterous new character Tsukasa who can't logout . It's a slow , and relaxing , beautifully drawn anime without the normal violence , adult stuff , and heavy action that you usually expect however , be warned that if you NEED action , you most likely will not enjoy this . It has a very nice soundtrack and the DVD offers you the option of watching the shows in English , Japanese , or just music with no words . It is a very very slow moving plot . . but somehow that's alright with me even though im not a soap-opera person . Somehow the slowness and beautiful drawings grabbed my attention . . it's a show about character development and a mystery inside the game . . . i love it and recommend it to people with a love for anime artwork !
044 4 I've seen the preview for . hack / / SIGN on Cartoon Network and I immediatly wanted it . First I had gotten . hack / / INFECTION for the PS2 and was blown away , so as soon as I could , I ordered this . The story line I love , I love the art , and the goodies with this boxed set I love . Comes with a shirt with Mimiru ( one of my favorite characters ) and Bear on the back ( another cool one ) , a grunty plushie ( I love plushies ) , a soundtrack ( love the music ) , a demo of . hack / / INFECTION for PS2 ( I don't know how it is since I already owned the game ) , and of course , the DVD it self . . . my personal thoughts is that . . . it just has so many elements that makes an anime great . Art , story line , music , characters . . it's awesome in my opinion .
047 4 . hack / / SIGN is a SPECTACULAR anime . It's great ; definitely a must-see . However , I do have a few problems with this item ( not the anime itself , you'll note . The anime itself is worth every penny ) . I mistakenly ordered this thinking that I was getting the limited edition of volume one , which comes with a T-shirt , soundtrack , Grunty plush doll , and some postcards . I can't say how frustrated that made me when it came , and I only had a DVD . Not only that , but the corner of the case was smashed , so that it doesn't close all the way .
If that doesn't concern you , then by all means , by this ! It's fantastic . Definitely worth it .
048 4 . hack is a totally immersive experience . It is one of the best anime series out there and the simp0le point is you aren't going to completely understand the story . You will be stuck knowing only what the characters in the show know . It won't be handed to you and it wont be full of dazzling fights because . hack is a story and a complicated one . You must hold all the pieces to understand . If you watch the series and play th games etc . it will become clear.WARNING EXTREME SPOILER AHEAD ! This for thse of you who can't understand to get the basis . Harald Hoerwick was in love with a poet named Emma Wielat who died in a car crash . In her memory he took her poem the Epitaph of the twilight and made it into a game called fragment . In this game he created aura as a child of the two . A program named morganna was made to awaken aura . Morganna became corrupt and trapped tsukasa in the world to use his negative feelings to keep aura unawake . cc corp had no idea this existed in haralds game and s it was added when they revised fragment and renamed it The World . In the games you play trying to awaken orca ( a coma victim ) and are opposed by morganna as she sends the eight phases as wriitten in the epitaph of twilight .
049 4 Yay , I've been watching . hack on Cartoon Network and couldn't wait to buy the dvd . Though I've seen the episodes on it already it's still awesome . The story is slow , but building to what I hope is a very cool , heart warming , end . I recommend this to anyone . The games is good as well , though being cut up into 4 parts in annoying . So get the anime , the music is wonderful , and I'm going to have to get the soundtracks eventually but for now the anime will do just fine !
050 4 This series is excelent . Just Plain excelent . As it has been said before this is not a series for action fans , or those who desire a quick paced story . For those willing to take the time for this show , they will be treated to some of the best written charaters to come a long in a while . I don't know if it has been said but i beleive there is a glareing error in many of the reviews . This series is not based on the game . The game , anime , OVA's ( included with the games ) , and the manga ( not yet released in the US ) are a continual and intertwined story line . This is based on my understanding of an interview and artical apearing in Newtype ( tm )
051 4 This review is from :
. hack / / SIGN - Limited Edition Boxed Set ( DVD )
I found the premise for . / / hack very interesting , I have never played on-line games this this but I use to work with people who played the microsoft one fanaticly so I can relate well and find it amusing . I can't wait to see where this cartoon will go , this first DVD brings up lots of questions and answers none of them , like is our lead a boy or a girl in the REAL World , why can't he log off , who is this woman who talks to him and gives him the guardian . Is that sleeping girl / woman using the lead or helping him excape a terrible reality ? Questions , Questions , but if you liked the idea of the matrix , not the action , you should enjoy the questions that . / / hack raises .
052 4 I found the premise for . / / hack very interesting , I have never played on-line games this this but I use to work with people who played the microsoft one fanaticly so I can relate well and find it amusing . I can't wait to see where this cartoon will go , this first DVD brings up lots of questions and answers none of them , like is our lead a boy or a girl in the REAL World , why can't he log off , who is this woman who talks to him and gives him the guardian . Is that sleeping girl / woman using the lead or helping him excape a terrible reality ? Questions , Questions , but if you liked the idea of the matrix , not the action , you should enjoy the questions that . / / hack raises .
053 4 Role players , gamers , and Otakus , this is the series ! This series has wonderful character designs and a plot line that should not be missed . Why buy the box rather than just tape it off TV or by the individual DVDs without a box ? Look at the cool stuff you get ! ! The music is excellent , the game demo is fun , the shirt design is sweet , and those funny little creatures ( the baka hippo thing ) are just too kawaii ( * cute * in japanese ) . And the box its self is unique in it's shape . Not your typical square slide the dvd in job . And for a series that thinks out side the box , why should it be ! Worth the money for this collectable box set . This is also the best price I've seen for it on the web . They only made limited number of them and I know some other sites are already out . Don't miss your chance to get this fantastic series .
054 4 This is a great anime story , specially if you are into role playing games as well . The box edition comes with a great selection and the sound track is amazing .
057 4 This review is from :
. hack / / SIGN - Vol . 1 : Login ( DVD )
. hack / / SIGN is an very pointed anime . It is obviously aimed for the video game / fantasy crowd since it was / is a famous video game for the PS2 . The skilled character designs off Yoshiyuki Sadamoto are combined with other top talent in the anime biz to create this spin off of their work in video games . And it will ensare some viewers ( myself ) and bore others to death because of its slow plot and lacking direction .
The STORY has all the makings of a really great Hollywood style film , however it is stretched across 26 half hours when it could easily have filled about 100 minutes on screen . But , to me , the time spent pondering the character's motives and situations is comforting and pleasantly ponderous . Similar to ' The Dark City ' , the main character Tsukasa wakes up from a blackened , amnesiac history to find himself inside a cave and covered with a sticky goo ( birth symbolism ) . He is a character within a virtual reality game called ' The World ' which is a dungeons & dragons themed environment drawing in millions of virtual participants from across the globe . Strangely , Tsukasa finds he can't log out , and doesn't seem to exist on the other side of this computer-human interactive event . The first players he meets become intrigued with his odd behavior and set about trying to unlock the mystery surrounding Tsukasa and his uncharacteristicly adept control of ' The World ' . What remains of the series becomes an odd ' whodunnit ' dealing with people coming into ' The World ' trying to break down and define Tsukasa and his enigmatic abilities and odd existence . Perhaps the most enticing part of the writing is how subtext is created by the character's words and behavior , and trying to figure out WHO these people are behind their virtual guises .
The ART is nice , but not incredible . Sadamoto's wonderful designs are adequately translated , but not enhanced or even matched by the animation crew . The film work is rather placid , but not insipid . Decent composition elevates . hack / / SIGN above average anime but not so far to declare it amazing . The animation and layout wanders in quality , yet is never horrific . Perhaps the worst side of the art is the color , which seems garish at points . Similar to LAIN , characters don't match the background light source most times and the brilliant Sadamoto colorings from promo and videogame art are tossed aside for abject , neon amateurism and mismatched light properties .
The MUSIC is something people can get rather wildly enthusiastic over in these reviews , but in reality it is nothing incredible . It is usually odd and sorely placed ; perhaps like a video game . But , because it is adequate in a limited form of entertainment doesn't mean it applies in a realm where greater skill can elevate the art . In general , the music is better then the average anime , but it isn't placed well and it isn't amazing .
. hack / / SIGN is a great anime to let play in the background of your life , and indulge in when you have time . If you have the cash to dole out , take a chance . For the average viewer it is an expensive outlay for a possibly slothlike experience lacking hook via action , humor or plot . Hopefully this review will help make your decision a wise one .
058 4 . hack / / SIGN is an very pointed anime . It is obviously aimed for the video game / fantasy crowd since it was / is a famous video game for the PS2 . The skilled character designs off Yoshiyuki Sadamoto are combined with other top talent in the anime biz to create this spin off of their work in video games . And it will ensare some viewers ( myself ) and bore others to death because of its slow plot and lacking direction .
The STORY has all the makings of a really great Hollywood style film , however it is stretched across 26 half hours when it could easily have filled about 100 minutes on screen . But , to me , the time spent pondering the character's motives and situations is comforting and pleasantly ponderous . Similar to ' The Dark City ' , the main character Tsukasa wakes up from a blackened , amnesiac history to find himself inside a cave and covered with a sticky goo ( birth symbolism ) . He is a character within a virtual reality game called ' The World ' which is a dungeons & dragons themed environment drawing in millions of virtual participants from across the globe . Strangely , Tsukasa finds he can't log out , and doesn't seem to exist on the other side of this computer-human interactive event . The first players he meets become intrigued with his odd behavior and set about trying to unlock the mystery surrounding Tsukasa and his uncharacteristicly adept control of ' The World ' . What remains of the series becomes an odd ' whodunnit ' dealing with people coming into ' The World ' trying to break down and define Tsukasa and his enigmatic abilities and odd existence . Perhaps the most enticing part of the writing is how subtext is created by the character's words and behavior , and trying to figure out WHO these people are behind their virtual guises .
The ART is nice , but not incredible . Sadamoto's wonderful designs are adequately translated , but not enhanced or even matched by the animation crew . The film work is rather placid , but not insipid . Decent composition elevates . hack / / SIGN above average anime but not so far to declare it amazing . The animation and layout wanders in quality , yet is never horrific . Perhaps the worst side of the art is the color , which seems garish at points . Similar to LAIN , characters don't match the background light source most times and the brilliant Sadamoto colorings from promo and videogame art are tossed aside for abject , neon amateurism and mismatched light properties .
The MUSIC is something people can get rather wildly enthusiastic over in these reviews , but in reality it is nothing incredible . It is usually odd and sorely placed ; perhaps like a video game . But , because it is adequate in a limited form of entertainment doesn't mean it applies in a realm where greater skill can elevate the art . In general , the music is better then the average anime , but it isn't placed well and it isn't amazing .
. hack / / SIGN is a great anime to let play in the background of your life , and indulge in when you have time . If you have the cash to dole out , take a chance . For the average viewer it is an expensive outlay for a possibly slothlike experience lacking hook via action , humor or plot . Hopefully this review will help make your decision a wise one .
059 4 I loved this anime through and through cant wait to watch the rest of it as soon as I can I even recommend this to non anime watchers . It is truly a man amongst boys in its genre of DVD's .
060 4 it's been a long while , but final there is another animated series to stand in the presence of Serial Experiments Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion . I don't know what cartoon network is doing with this ! Watch Tsukasa , Mimiru , Subaru , Sora and company the way they were meant to be watched . Very much the show for anyone who has enjoyed RPGs of any sort . Your friends that know more about anime than you will be talking about this series for a long time . Mad props to ( E-F ) fansubs for making this series known and bringing on its quick american licencing .
063 4 . hack / / sign is part of a multimedia experience that includes this anime , 4 volumes of a video game , and a manga . ( in that order ) . . hack / / sign sets up things you see in the game , and explains somethings in the game as well ( such as an area you see early on in . hack / infection ) . If you want an action anime , this in not for you , but if you like lots of character development and plot twists , you will enjoy this .
064 4 I bought this because I found nothing but awesome reviews . I love watching anime but I did NOT love this .
I generally prefer watching dubs if they are good , but this just didn't do it for me . I think maybe if I stuck to watching this subbed , then it would not have been so bad . Probably .
As for the action sequences , they show a bunch of them as they are about to start , and then before anything hits anything , cut to a scene where they talk about the fight or not at all . I don't really mind all the talking ( love Witch Hunter Robin ) but again , I ran into the dub issue . The acting just didn't work for me . Points for the DVD extras though .
065 4 some of the best art , great sound track .
wow , just wow , this is soo good .
067 4 This series is extremely slow . I saw the whole japanese series I would say it was sorry . I really don't recomend this series to anybody . The whole series is all walking around and conversating about how to find a key and wonder why Tsukasa can't go back to the real world . This whole series is all dialogue . There is only like a couple fighting scenes near the end . It is so slow , I have never seen something so slow . . . If you want to be left opened at the end of the series be my guest and buy the whole series . One of my most pet peeve in this series is that there is alot of unneeded flash back . It was so bad that one of the chapter was just all flashback ( what a waste of my time ) .
Only reason I am not giving it a one star rating is the intro to the series is one of the best I have ever seen and also the soundtrack is [ good ] . I also love how the character design .
069 4 I don't know why , but this series seems to be really popular on release . . . which is interesting because clearly a lot of people haven't even watched an episode , yet they are very excited and proclaiming the triumph of this anime . What you fail to understand when you start with this series is that the slow-paced story is just the beginning . Once the story gets going you start to believe there will be some really amazing , quasi-religious theme going on about consciousness , computing , and the nature of reality . Little did you know until around episode 20 that the story isn't going anywhere . It is now , when you have wasted so many hours watching , that you begin to get nervous . As it turns out the ending IS a total rip off - there is no closure , no clarity , in fact virtually any recognizable or sensible conflict . . hack / / SIGN was a really beautiful , haunting series to watch , but my recommendation is don't waste your time . You will be sorry when you finally hit that last episode and don't understand what the hell happened .
070 4 * chuckles * Sorry , I'm a little bias there . Tsukasa is the main character ( or one of the main charaterS ) of . hack / / sign . He's my favorite , my sweety . . . * hushes self * Okay . . . I loved this anime , fell for it the instant I saw Tsukasa and Subaru on the front of NewtypeUSA ( Tsukasa is SOOO cute in that picture ! ) . But be warned , when I nabbed the anime , I found it started kinda slow , heck , not kinda , really slow . When my friends ask me why I won't show it to them , I reply that the first half of the anime involves Tsukasa sitting around wondering what the heck he should be doing , and the rest of them . . . talking about it . * sighs * Unfortunately , my friends aren't around long enough at any given point in time to finish the series in one bout . But if it gives you that feeling , don't give up hope , it speeds up at the end , really it does . Almost made me cry , it was so wonderful ( Or maybe I'm just into character torture . . . * shrugs * ) ! Keep an eye out for Maho ( he's cute too ) and listen to the music , the music is great . * sighs * I guess that's enough of my hopeless rambling called a review . Ja ne ! ( PS - I read the other newer reveiws and felt like adding some extra cents . * chuckles * I said it started slow , sheesh ! ^ _ ^ )
072 4 Since the DVD has yet to be released , I can only give it 3 stars based on what I know about the story . I've seen the entire Japanese series of this and it is definately one of my favorite anime series in a long time . Not since Trigun have I been so entirely wrapped up in a story . For those who dont know anything about it . The story flows around a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game ( MMORPG ) called The World . This game has become so popluar around the real world , that it boasts some 2 million players . Set slightly in the future , players jack in and become a part of this virutal world as if they're standing there , but always keep game rules in effect . In other words , they dont feel , smell , or experience anything real life while walking around this virtual online RPG . The main character becomes somehow ( without giving it all away ) trapped in The World , living and breathing as if he's a part of the game .
I don't really want to get into too much more because I feel that I'll give the story away . This series starts out kind of slow , but it really picks up and remains interesting throughout the entire series . I only gave it three stars because I dont know what the DVD holds , but the story is just amazing . It ranks up there in top favorite anime series of all time .
For people who have a picky anime pallet . The series doesn't have typical humor scenes , a la Rurouni Kenshin , and it doesn't revolve around finding love or anything like that . It's an anime about RPGs with nice action , good story development , and interesting characters .
074 4 I thought I would like this , but all I had heard about it just turned out to be hype . The characters are all boring , two-dimensional personalities . The art , while pretty , was not enough to keep my interest , and the storyline was , to be frank , not even there . So , Tsukasa is trapped in an online game . * yawns * Big deal . None of the characters had me cheering for them , and some , like Subaru , made me feel the opposite . I found the Crimson Knights to be power-hungry and Subaru to be rather stuck-up . Bear is just . . . goofy . Mimiru is the only character to evoke any kind of good reaction from me , but she cannot carry the show all by herself .
The voice acting falls flat , as the voices either don't fit the character or are just uninteresting . Tsukasa sounds flat and emotionless , Mimiru's English voice gets on my nerves VERY quickly , and Subaru also comes across as rather unemotional and prissy . The voice actors for the Crimson Knights and Bear sound as though they have never done any voice-acting ; their acting is stilted and jerky .
If you are a fan of online RPGs , you might like this . Otherwise , I suggest you stay away . There are many other anime titles out there . I am currently selling my copy of . hack here on Amazon .
075 4 . hack is nothing but hype . The animation and the game are sub-par ; the story just makes me yawn . I have never been so bored in my life . I have been indulging in anime for years , but few have provoked this type of response from me . Honestly , it is laughable how marketing and advertising can push something . This is not a ground breaking title , in fact , nothing about the animation , style , music or plot stands out in my mind . Save yourself some time and money and avoid this travesty at all costs . Besides , Phantasy Star Online came first and would have made a much more interesting property . Get a modem and play an online game with REAL people .
076 4 I bought this at the recommendations of many of my friends and after reading several reviews . This is purely a character-driven story and only has one or two fights that are actually worth watching . All in all not up to the standards of a all-around good anime . . .
077 4 Yes , the music is great and so is the art but the show is dull with poorly defined characters and a slow pace that could lull a hyperactive ten year old to sleep . This is one of the worst animes ever made ! I've seen some more episodes on Cartoon Network . . . . it doesn't get any better , folks . Save your money and buy something good . CLAMP has out X ( slow paced in the beginning but with gorgeous animation and a great story , and amazing characters ) , or Chobits ( a light and fun series from CLAMP about a guy who finds a cute female robot in a dumpster and falls in love with her ) . You'll be MUCH better off taking my advice .
078 4 . hack / / sign features a very cool idea ( Kid trapped in an online RPG world ) . Unfortunately the show becomes very stale very quickly . I watched the first episode and enjoyed it , but as soon as I moved up to episodes 5,6 and so on , the story just started to become extremely boring and annoying ! On more than one occation they would end the episode with a big climactic battle ( ie : one of the main characters , Bear , about to get stabbed by a montster . ) , and then in the next episode they wouldn't continue the battle , they would simply just have the characters talking about the results ( ie : Bear sitting talking about his encounter with the monster . ) As soon as I started getting further and further up to around episode 10 , I just could not watch it any longer and stopped downloading the episodes . Oh and did I mention the main character is a angsty , annoying teenaged GIRL ( not joking , its a girl ) ?
There is one thing extremely good about this series , however . THE MUSIC . The music is soo good . If you are a fan of music from Escaflowne , or just RPG styled music ( you know , violins , flutes , lots of ' ethnic ' influence ) then at least check the OST out .
This show is airing on Cartoon Networks Toonami so its alot easier and cheaper to just watch the episodes on TV .
if you are a fan of action , or hate long , LONG , periods of talking , STAY FAR AWAY . Since this isn't a problem for me , I enjoyed this emmensely . This is my first anime , and I'm on the last disc . It starts off great , but is very confusing . Things start to make sense around the fourth disc . I recommend it to any fan of MMORPGs , since it takes place in one .
071 4 I SAW THIS MOVIE dothack / / sign ON DVD AND IT WAS THE BEST.It even talk about playstation2 dothack games .
