Since its release in 2007, the CC Corporation’s MMORPG, ‘The World’�, has attracted players in their thousands. For the player known as Tsukasa, though, ‘The World’� has become much more than a simple game, because for some reason, he can’t log out and return to the real world!

Despite his predicament, Tsukasa only wants to be left alone, but this soon becomes impossible when the Crimson Knights (a body of players who take it upon themselves to enforce the rules) decide that they want to question him about his dealings with an illegally modified cat player character. And when a mysterious force within ‘The World’� grants Tsukasa certain abilities that are outside of the game’s rules, he begins attracting even more attention, not only from players who are interested in Tsukasa himself, but from those who suspect he might somehow be connected to the legendary item known as the ‘Key of the Twilight’�.

.hack//SIGN may be set within an online game, but it is by no means a predominantly action-based series, choosing to focus instead on character interactions. This makes for something of a slow start, as we spend early episodes watching characters meet up and talk in ‘The World’� whilst the initial groundwork is laid. Almost imperceptibly, however, a deeper and more compelling storyline begins to emerge and by the halfway point of the series the pace has picked up considerably, as the painstaking set-up begins to pay off.

Along with the story, the characters themselves receive ample development. Initially coming off as a little more than a collection of stereotypes, the main cast are soon fleshed out as we begin to delve into their back-story and motivations. To add an extra dimension to this, every so often the series reminds that the characters we see onscreen are only online avatars, by providing us with brief yet illuminating glimpses of the players controlling them.

Visually, the show is hard to fault; however, by far the most outstanding aspect of the series is its music. Composed by Yuki Kajiura, the series’ mix of vocal and instrumental tracks makes for haunting and powerful listening that stands just as well on its own as in the context of the series.

Finally, it should be noted that although .hack//SIGN is only a part of the larger .hack franchise, those who have yet to venture into the .hack universe will not be at a significant disadvantage. Video game veterans will certainly have a greater appreciation of the workings of ‘The World’� but the series itself is self-contained enough that it is accessible to any viewer.

In Summary

With its outstanding visuals and music, .hack//SIGN’s only flaw is the slow pacing of its early episodes. However, those with the patience to make it past these rather mediocre beginnings will be well rewarded when the true depth of the characters and storyline begins to emerge.