What better way to start anew than to write an episode by episode review of .hack//Sign. I’m pretty sure that most of you have already watched the anime since it came out back in 2002, yet here I am at Episode one by myself. Further, I started with .hack//Sign  according to AAAM chronological approach of watching the series. Besides, I do not want to get confused and lost in the middle of this anime.

So, without further ado, here are my thoughts for Episode one!

Mind you, I dived in episode one without knowing a single thing about the anime. I am basically clueless about everything. So, let me give you straight the details as well as the synopsis of this anime.

Synopsis

A young Wavemaster, only known by the alias of Tsukasa, wakes up in an MMORPG called The World, with slight amnesia. He does not know what he has previously done before he woke up. In The World, the Crimson Knights suspect him of being a hacker, as he was seen accompanying a tweaked character in the form of a cat. Unable to log out from the game, he wanders around looking for answers, avoiding the knights and other players he meets along the way.

As Tsukasa explores The World, he stumbles upon a magical item that takes the form of a “guardian,” which promises him protection from all harm. Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights, along with several other players who became acquainted with Tsukasa, set out to investigate why Tsukasa is unable to log out, and attempt to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets out of hand.

Source

Main Staff

Original Work:	Project .hack
Direction:	Mashimo Kouichi
Series Composition:	Itou Kazunori
Character Design:	Ban YukikoIwaoka YuukoOosawa SatoshiShiba Minako
Music:	Kajiura Yuki
Work:	Bee Train

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Opening Song

The OP entitled “Obsession” by See-saw sounds good in my ears. It was techno, old-school, groovy, electrifying and a little bit nostalgic. Another plus point is that it is in English which allows me to become more familiar with the message of the opening song. Although the lyrics are repetitive, it still sounds amazing for me. We all know how essential OP is for an anime. Basically, this is the trigger that will form or create a good platform for watchers to get hooked in the series.  First impression? It is a yes for me.

The first episode started when this dude woke up inside a cave without any recollection of his life. At the same time, a piece of beautiful background music was playing in the scene as he gathered himself up and looked around the area. I swear the insert song on this scene can be matched and played in a Code Geass episode. It was that good! Probably the strength of the first episode relied heavily on the soundtrack. Anyway, this unnamed dude met a girl named Mimiru who looks like a female swordsman based on her weapon. To be honest, I do not see the need to have that yellow marks in her body. It looked like tan lines to me.

Moving on, this dude, our unnamed protagonist was confronted by Mimiru asking who he was, what was he doing inside the cave and so on, so forth. Typical conversation. Our still unnamed protagonist got tired of Mimiru and teleported his way out of the conversation. Upon doing so, he stumbled upon the Crimson Knights, or so we are told that they protect the situation inside “The World”.  Now I know that “The World” they are talking about is not the real world.

On that note, the “World” they are talking about looks like a scene in an MMORPG game. Probably it was a hint that our unnamed protagonist is a player inside the game. You see, whenever I play an RPG game, I was always asked to choose my character from a mage, a warrior, a healer, or an assassin. Perhaps, in this case, our unnamed protagonist is the “mage” (WaveMaster) based on his clothing.  Back to the “World”, animation wise, it was pretty decent knowing that this anime was produced way back in 2002.

The visuals are really appealing which makes you want to know more about the “World”. Meanwhile, the story progresses and our still unnamed protagonist met a man named”Bear” which didn’t look like a Bear at all. I don’t know about the character design but, I hated the color palette used for him. Anyway, he seemed like a good companion for our protagonist. Perhaps a fatherly or brotherly figure? Check.

As we go along, I was faced with details every now and then. Here is the list of them:

1. There was something wrong with the “World” 

     2. The Crimson Knights were looking for a PC- Cat of which have been sighted together with our protagonist.

3. Our protagonist can not log-out of the game probably due to a glitch on his account. Perhaps, he cheated in the game? He doesn’t even remember. Although it is very clear that other players can log-out of the game. In addition, the protagonist is a sarcastic little brat which was enjoyable to watch.

4. Our still unnamed protagonist opened the treasure box inside the cave where he first came to, lo and behold a gold stone appeared. In a female voice, she said “I need you as you need me, let’s walk together”, “As long as we walk together, I shall protect you” (very creepy I know but whatever). The scene felt like it was from a game and then you open one of those treasure chests for your reward.

5. He obtained a certain guardian after he opened the treasure chest. It saved him from one of the crimson knights who attacked him inside the cave. It was a strange guardian though, with a bracelet in the middle. Not really sure if it was a bracelet or nah. Anyway, at the end of the episode, we were taken back in the real world where someone (clueless of who he/she is) was lying unconscious on his/her room while the police came in the background.

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Before I end this episode review, allow me to point out the good and the bad in summary.

GOOD

✔ OP and ED + Insert Songs

✔ Animation specifically the setting and/or background.

✔ Flow and progress of the story, it is not confusing at all.

BAD

X Character design most especially on Bear and Mimiru. (I did not like the color palette at all.)

X Fight scenes which are understandable since it came out way back in 2002.

X The first episode did not say the name of the protagonist.

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I think that was a wrap! In conclusion, I will still proceed on checking out the next episodes since it ended in a cliffhanger. Besides, the premise is cool, the soundtrack is cool, the story flow is good as well. But as of this moment, I can not still see myself finishing the anime until the last episode.

Bye-Bye!

 

I leave you with this cute thing and…

my favorite quote of the first episode:

Mimiru:

“I don’t want to say this but the net is the same as the real world. There are certain manners you have to observe when dealing with people, and you won’t be treated with respect if you behave badly. No matter where you are, net or real!”