Home :: DVD :: Animation  

Anime & Manga
Comedy
Computer Animation
General
International
Kids & Family
Science Fiction
Stop-Motion & Clay Animation
.hack//SIGN (Vol. 1) - Limited Edition Boxed Set

.hack//SIGN (Vol. 1) - Limited Edition Boxed Set

List Price: $64.98
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cute and cheap!
Review: 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!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Trying to decide if I like it....
Review: 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 :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's been awhile...
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Awesome packaging, slow story
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hot groundbreaking anime
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very much in the tradition of Tron and The Matrix...
Review: 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!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: For the love of Tsukasa!
Review: *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! ^_^)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Doesn't go ANYWHERE
Review: Well I'm sorry, but I don't know what the other reviewer was talking about. I've now seen through episode 11, and the plot hasn't moved anywhere since the 2nd episode. I have to give it to the creators though, the production aspect of the series is outstanding. From the visuals to the music, there are few series that come close to this. Even the main concept of the storyline is extremely interesting, and yet they failed to develop it in any way. I have never been so disappointed with a series, and find it very hard to want to continue watching further; a friend of mine has seen the entire series and says that it won't get any better. Therefore, I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 just because I could tell that there was a lot of effort put into the design of the series, just not much thought put into developing the plot. What a shame; .hack//sign had a lot of promise.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Very cool at first..wait till you get further in.
Review: .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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A must see and a must own.
Review: 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


<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates