.hack//Sign

The series is set in a fictional 2009, introducing a computer virus called Pluto's Kiss as the cause of a massive Internet shutdown.[11] The results are described as catastrophic:[12] traffic lights shut down, planes collide in midair, and the American nuclear missiles are nearly launched. As a consequence, cyberspace is subjected to severe restrictions. The virus affects all operating systems except for one, Altimit OS, the only operating system immune to all computer viruses.[12]

Displaying ornate buildings and numerous canals lined by decorative walkways, Mac Anu (Delta Server's Root Town) is reminiscent of Venice.[13]

Two years later free access to the networks recovers, bringing with it the release of The World: the first online game since Pluto's Kiss, developed for Altimit OS.[11] The World is portrayed as a fantasy setting wherein player characters can be different classes, adventure by themselves to go searching through dungeons or join with others and form parties, fight monsters and level up, collect new items and participate in special events.[3] At the center of each server is a Root Town, which contain shops, a save point, and the Chaos Gate that players use to travel between servers in the game.[14]

Harald Hoerwick is introduced as the creator of The World. He secretly designed the game as a virtual womb in order to create the ultimate artificial intelligence (AI), by receiving emotional and psychological data from the players. His motivation is revealed to be the death of Emma Wielant, a German poet with whom he was in love; the AI, who was named Aura, would serve as the "daughter" they never had.[15] Harald left the gathering of the required data for Aura's development at the care of the core system of The World itself, an omnipresent AI called Morganna Mode Gone.[12] The storyline of .hack//Sign, set in early 2010,[11] revolves around the premise of Morganna attempting to stall the growth of Aura indefinitely, after realizing that she will lose her purpose once Aura is complete.

The series follows the story about Tsukasa being mind-trapped into the game. Despite being a "fantasy quest type adventure", it does not rely on action sequences.[3][10] Instead, the show is driven by mystery, slowly revealing its secrets to the viewer while paying much attention to the individual characters.[7] Questions like what happened to Tsukasa in the real world, who he really is, and why he cannot log out are driving points of the story.[10]

Soon after the beginning of the series, Tsukasa is led to a hidden area. There he meets Morganna, depicted as a voice without physical appearance, and Aura, who appears as a young girl clad entirely in white, floating asleep above a bed. The storyline introduces Morganna as an ally, but her real intentions are unknown at this point.

As the story progresses many characters are introduced, some who want to help, some who have ulterior motives. Then more questions arise as to "what is happening in the game itself, who are these various characters, what are their true goals and what will happen to Tsukasa".[10] All the while he is seen struggling with his increasingly dire situation as well as his own social and emotional shortcomings. Tsukasa isolates himself, but eventually he begins to get closer to other players, and builds strong relationships with some of them; the most important is the one born between him and Subaru, a kind and thoughtful female Heavy Axeman.[10][16]

In the meantime, the series follows the quest for the Key of the Twilight (黄昏の鍵, Tasogare no Kagi), a legendary item rumored to have the ability to bypass the system in The World.[8] Some characters want the Key to gain the power this supposedly confers. Others believe the item will provide Tsukasa with a way to log out. Despite their reasons for seeking it, everyone agrees that it is related to Tsukasa in some way, as he is also a factor bypassing the system in the game. His body being in a coma in the real world adds a sense of urgency to the quest.

Near the end of the series, Tsukasa's real-life identity takes a more central place in the storyline, particularly in relation to his growing bond with Subaru. The series shows his fear and insecurity as he confesses to her that he is probably a girl in the real world.[17] It is also at this point when Tsukasa is told Morganna's plan by a highly skilled hacker called Helba. Morganna conceived the plan to link Aura to a character who could corrupt her with negative emotional data, placing her in a state where she would never awaken. The chosen character was Tsukasa, as his mind was filled with distressful memories of his real life. Helba also suggests that when Aura is able to awaken, "the Key of the Twilight will take form".[18]

The story reaches the climax, when Tsukasa confronts Morganna. He declares that he is no longer afraid of her or of reality, and will log out because there is someone he wants to see.[19] This statement triggers Aura's awakening, allowing Tsukasa to log out. The last scenes feature an emotional encounter between Tsukasa's real-life self, who is shown to actually be a girl, and the real-life player behind Subaru.

Clockwise from top-left: Helba, Bear, Crim, Sora, BT, Subaru, Tsukasa and Mimiru

The primary characters in the series are Tsukasa, BT, Bear, Mimiru and Subaru (as depicted in the intro of the series).

Tsukasa is the protagonist of the story and plays a Wavemaster. At the start of the series he is seen waking up to find himself trapped in The World, unable to log out. He is initially depicted as a cynical introvert who tends to avoid others as much as possible, but his character development shows him growing to realize there are people who care about him.[20] One of these people is Subaru, a female Heavy Axeman introduced as the leader of the Crimson Knights, a player organization designed to fight injustice (such as player killing) in The World. Most of the time Subaru is the only character preventing the Crimson Knights from running wild; she knows that they must be restrained from abusing their power. She eventually joins in the search of a way to help Tsukasa, and builds a close relationship with him.[16]

Also close to Tsukasa is Mimiru, a Heavy Blade who is poor at planning things out and following through on them. She is the first player to meet Tsukasa, and later forms a bond with him and vows to protect him. She usually hangs out with Bear, trying to solve the mystery of Tsukasa's inability to log out. Bear is an older player of the game and plays a Blademaster. He appears as cool and collected, always willing to help out newbies. He also conducts research in the real world on Tsukasa. One of Bear's acquaintances is BT, a plotting and scheming Wavemaster.

BT teams up with Crim and Sora to find the Key of the Twilight. Crim is a powerful Long Arm, friend of Subaru who founded the Crimson Knights organization with her, but afterwards left it as he found it did not match his personality. Amiable, easygoing and sociable; he prefers to keep the real world and the game separate. Crim's stated goal when playing is simply to have fun,[21] although he never turns down a chance to help somebody in need. Sora is a Twin Blade player killer who enjoys hunting players down, especially attractive female ones, and demanding their Member Addresses in exchange for their lives. He sees Tsukasa as the strongest link to the Key of the Twilight, and starts working with BT in the quest for it.

The real-world scenes' raw presentation denotes the predominance of The World over reality.[27]

The virtual environment depicted in .hack//Sign draws on medieval imagery:[27] settings range from a Venice-like city to a Gothic stone church, passing by settlements such as villages and castles; the series' scenery shows examples of Celtic art.[14] Natural landscapes such as forests and tundras complete the setting design, which overall displays the fantasy theme seen in most MMORPGs.[3]

Sadamoto's character designs follow the fantasy theme as well,[28] drawing influence from the sword and sorcery subgenre in particular.[29] Character designs also draw on Celtic imagery: Director Mashimo acknowledged similarities between Bear's design and Mel Gibson in his role as William Wallace,[30] an example of Celtic warrior.[31] All the characters are given distinctive patterns resembling tattoos, the visual representation of a fictional gameplay aspect called Wave.[14]

In contrast with The World's scenery, real-world sequences are minimalist in their presentation.[27] They display faces frequently obscured by shadows or hidden by extreme angles. The dialogue is not heard, but shown through title cards: when someone speaks the screen blacks out and a line of red or blue text appears with the dialogue.[13] The combination of visual and acoustic noise makes reality appear as "some kind of less authentic, alternate channel".[13][27]

Yuki Kajiura provides a soundtrack permeated by the Celtic style and gaming theme of the series.[32] The songs feature synthesizer and strings compositions,[32] as well as vocals consisting of English chanting.[33] Celtic influence is prominent in themes such as "Key of the Twilight" and "Open Your Heart".[34][35] Performed by Emily Bindiger, "Key of the Twilight" blends a pulsing drum and bass mix with guitar intonations.[32] "Open Your Heart", on the other hand, combines Bindiger's contralto vocals with an uilleann pipes solo.[35] The .hack//Sign soundtrack also features vocals by Yuriko Kaida. "Mimiru" has her humming across a saxophone melody performed by Kazuo Takeda;[36] in "Das Wandern" she sings over a lone piano.[36]

European influence is prominent in instrumental pieces as well, "Foreigners" being a prime example.[32] Reminiscent of a classic Irish diddy, the track comprises a flute dancing across a tribal-like percussion set.[34] Orchestral music includes pieces such as "Fear" and "Kiss". "Fear" features an electronic melody wrapped around a digital-beat groove,[32][34] mixed with a distant voice uttering "feeaarr!".[34] Combining "the childlike humanity into a frightening digital reality", the song is an "analogy to the series' plot".[32] "Kiss" is a theme that entirely features traditional symphony, although only using a few performers.[34] It is a violin and piano mix, used to set mood in the series.[32]

The opening theme of the series is "Obsession". Performed by Kajiura's musical group See-Saw, the track features an electric guitar and rapid electronic beat.[34] The closing theme is "Yasashii Yoake" (優しい夜明け, "gentle dawn"), also performed by See-Saw.[32] It is a blend of Japanese vocals, an Irish bouzouki, acoustic guitars and percussion.[34] Both themes were released as a single on May 22, 2002, by Victor Entertainment.[37][38] Three original soundtracks with vocals Emily Bindiger, with music and arrangement (and lyrics in vocals themes) by Yuki Kajiura were released. The first original soundtrack was released in North America with the limited edition of the first .hack//Sign DVD.[39][40] This album is a mix of vocal themes and BGM. Most of the vocal songs and a couple of BGM tracks have strong Celtic influence. The BGM is completed with tracks with noticeable console-RPG style.[41] The second original soundtrack was released in North America with the limited edition of the second .hack//Sign DVD.[42][43] All of the tracks are fairly slow, with catchy beats. The final music soundtrack was titled ".hack//Extra Soundtrack".[44] In North America this soundtrack was included with the limited edition of the fourth .hack//Sign DVD.[45] DSTV-channel/full>

Discs

Despite its visual concept, .hack//Sign is not a sword and sorcery story, but an exposition-driven character study.[2] It proposes "a trip inside the psychology and soul of an emotionally bruised, but slowly healing person."[5] Themes range from psychological to sociological and are dealt with using classical dialogue as well as image-only introspection.[5][6][10]

The somber scenery symbolizes Tsukasa's tormented state of mind.[5]

Among the most prominent themes in .hack//Sign are anxiety, its causes, and the effects it has upon human behavior.[5] Scenes of the real world show people living an apprehensive, even painful reality:[27] characters' background includes subjects such as dysfunctional families and physical impediments. Tsukasa himself is psychologically affected by years of physical abuse and neglect,[6] a state that gets worse throughout his experience in the game, where his reality disappears and he begins to doubt his own existence.[5] When anxiety is excessive (like in the case depicted by Tsukasa's story) and can not be relieved by practical problem-solving methods, "the human ego uses maneuvers such as a defense mechanism to deny, falsify or even distort reality."[5] The anime series explores this process as the root of emotional and behavioral issues such as detachment and isolation.[6][10]

Escapism, if only as representing a consequence of anxiety, is a significant theme in .hack//Sign.[5] The series explores how technology, such as the Internet and online games, can be used to escape reality.[10] The World is portrayed as a means that people use "to escape their lives", assuming roles online that compensate for their shortcomings in the real world:[27] to some, it is a place where they can overcome their physical limitations; to others, it is a social outlet or a world free of rules. In addition, the preference given to the virtual world over reality represents the intrusion of technology in the social structure:[27] as people engage in "the wide potential of cyberspace", they become more withdrawn in the real world.[27]

Interpersonal relationships are a prominent theme too.[6] The show explores the psychological effects social connections have upon people with emotional needs.[10] Initially Tsukasa shows no respect for any values or other people, but as he engages in relationships, he begins to gradually change, learning to care about others and acquiring the strength to face the reality of his life.[5]

Originally, .hack//Sign was broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo between April 4 to September 25, 2002. The same year Victor Entertainment released the entire score in three albums, along with a single containing the opening and ending of the series.[46]

In North America, .hack//Sign was licensed and distributed by Bandai Entertainment,[47] and dubbed by PCB Productions, who are known for their adaptations of fare like Geneshaft.[2] The dub aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami between February 1, 2003 and March 1, 2004.[48] The series was also released on DVD, spanning six volumes. The limited edition ran from March 4, 2003 to March 16, 2004, followed by the regular edition from March 18, 2003 to March 16, 2004.[49] A recap episode called Evidence and the DVD only episode Intermezzo were included in the sixth volume, and Unison was only included in its limited edition.[50] Following the multimedia concept of the franchise,[51] Bandai also acquired the license for the .hack games,[47] the first one being released the same month the anime series began broadcast.[52]

The multimedia approach is shown through the DVD release as well. The limited edition not only included the three soundtrack albums of the series, but also the soundtrack of .hack//Liminality and a demo disc of the first game.[39][42][45][53]

The series was compiled three times. The first DVD box set was released on October 26, 2004, by the name .hack//Sign – Complete Collection, and the second, more affordable one on August 22, 2006, by the name .hack//Sign: Anime Legends Complete Collection. Neither of these releases contains the OVA episode Unison.[54][55]

Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment, Funimation announced at SDCC 2013, that they acquired four .hack titles including SIGN.[56] In 2015, Funimation released the DVD boxset .hack//Sign: The Complete Series, which contains all 28 episodes, including both OVA episodes.

A compilation artbook called .hack//the visions was included in the February, 2003 issue of Newtype published by Kadokawa Shoten. The book contains .hack//Sign, .hack//Legend of the Twilight, and the .hack games illustrations which were originally shown in different issues of Newtype during 2002. Participating artists included Rei Izumi, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Satoshi Ohsawa, and Yuko Iwaoka.

An information book about Project .hack. was published by Fujimi Shobo in June, 2003. The book, called Encyclopedia .hack (ISBN 4-8291-7530-3), is a compilation of theories and information about storyline, setting, and characters of the franchise, taken from the series itself.[57] Another information book about Project .hack was published by Softbank Publishing on September 27, 2003. This publication was called hack//analysis (ISBN 4-7973-2455-4) and, unlike Encyclopedia, included never-before-seen information on The World and the characters of the franchise. Information about .hack//Sign characters like Bear and BT was expanded in this book.[58]