Hack//Sign

Director
Kazumi KawashiroKazumi Kawashiro, Keith AremKazumi Kawashiro, Keith Arem, Koichi MashimoKazumi Kawashiro, Keith Arem, Koichi Mashimo, Satoshi OhsawaKazumi Kawashiro, Keith Arem, Koichi Mashimo, Satoshi Ohsawa, Tatsuya OkaKazumi Kawashiro, Keith Arem, Koichi Mashimo, Satoshi Ohsawa, Tatsuya Oka, Yoshiaka Tsuhata
Production
Bandai, Bee Train, Yomiuri Advertising
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2002

.Hack//Sign

By Pat Coleman
9th May 04

.Hack//Sign (pronounced Dot Hack Sign) is a very unique anime series. The anime starts in the year 2010, and centers around a massive online multiplayer game known as "The World". A young boy named Tsukasa was playing the game one day, and then blacked out. When he awoke he was no longer in front of his computer. He could smell, see, and hear as though he was actually in "The World". When he tried to logout, he couldn't. On top of all that he has no memory of his past. He had become a virtual prisioner of "The World". Sucks for him, right? Sounds like its nothing much, but believe me the story is very in depth. The way the plot is presented is like one episode leads to another structure. The end of almost every episode so far (as I've seen only 7 episodes as of now) ends with a cliffhanger. It always seems that the title is what happens at the very end of the episode. So you're always wondering, what going happen to Tsukasa or something.

I personally like this anime because of Tsukasa. He's kind of depressed and when he gets into a bad mood, watch out! You see this is cause he gets powers that allow him to do things that are completly impossible. The system admins even forced diconnected him at one point and still nothing happend. This kid is king of his own world kind of.

The animation isn't the best I've seen but it's good. I have noticed that cells are only reused ocassionally. And it seems only when players are just standing around talking to each other. Also, the sound track is great. The music is greatly timed and a lot of time sets the mood.

Over all this is a great anime because the plot is scattered around and you will not completly understand what is going on until you watch the whole thing. Well it's on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at three, or, if your like me and can't wait and hate dubbed animes, just download it through Kazza. I would have given it a 10 but there is just something missing.

9/10

-- Pat Coleman 9th May 04

Hack//Sign Images