Rating:  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:  Summary: One of the premier anime titles Review: .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..........
Rating:  Summary: Awesome if you are a real fan of anime Review: .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.
Rating:  Summary: BO-RING Review: .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.
Rating:  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:  Summary: Once in a lifetime experience... Review: .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 .Hack5/5*
Rating:  Summary: Frustrated!!! Review: .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.
Rating:  Summary: Intriguing, but sluggish anime aimed for the videogame crowd Review: .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.
Rating:  Summary: A story that goes beyond just an anime Review: .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.
Rating:  Summary: Multimedia experience Review: .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.
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