SVES Talkback - .hack//SIGN - Episode 26: "Return" (Spoilers)

[Romanesque]

Final Episode!

A veeery interesting episode, tonight... but you were hopefully expecting that! :D With any luck, we'll also get to see the ending, which would normally play through the credits. ::crosses fingers::

If the ending does not air, please keep any talk of it within spoiler boxes for now, and we'll see if anything can be done about getting a copy of the final credits for download...

--Romey

[G1Ravage]

It's about time.

[Tsukasa]

The World truly is coming to an end...

[zig973]

If by any chance the ending does NOT show, I have an avi of the ending ready. I'll post more detailed information on how to get after it's over tonight and the full ending does NOT show.

[Infinity Blade]

If the ending does not air, please keep any talk of it within spoiler boxes for now, and we'll see if anything can be done about getting a copy of the final credits for download...

Of course, all things considered, the odds of it airing are kind of slim...

[Tsukasa]

what do you mean by "ending"? Is it just a normal episode, right?

[zig973]

Let's put it this way. If you don't see the credits, you'll be completely confused as to what happens at the end. I hope i didn't spoil anything... I don't think i did...

[Iridium128]

Er... I don't suppose one of you kind soul's who happen to have captured the ending could possibly take some screen caps, and provide a script (I'm not sure what kind of "ending" this is... I'm assuming it'll be a silent Trigun-ish ending, but just in case it's not...) and details?

I'd simply download it, but my computer is too slow to play even the smallest clip... :(

[Dr Kain]

I doubt CN would skip something that important. If there is something to air during the credits, I'm sure they would do it. They did it for Cowboy Bebop didn't they?

[MrBananagrabber]

I doubt CN would skip something that important. If there is something to air during the credits, I'm sure they would do it. They did it for Cowboy Bebop didn't they?

True, but they always aired Bebop's full lenght ending. There's a tailor-made short version of .hack's that airs.

Still, we're lucky some people here are gonna upload it, worst case scenario.

As for the episode itself, I'm very excited to see it again. ^^

[Roger Smith]

well if it dosent shows im giving spoilers
We see Tsukasa in person and she isent hot and we see Subaru in a wheel chair (she doe something in the game that she cant do in real life)

[Romanesque]

well if it dosent shows im giving spoilers

You couldn't have waited until after the episode aired, eh? -_-

--Romey

[Spike Mcdougal]

and she isent hot

That wasnt necessary

[Lord Dalek]

she isent hot

Well anyone who saw episodes 11 and 12 coulda told you that...

By the way, does this show hold the record for taking the longest time to wrap up on CN? Seven whole months! :yawn:

[SNS]

CN has skipped important things before (the ending of Kikaider), so it wouldn't surprised me if they skip this too.

[Roger Smith]

well the end of kikaider just said jiro lived angry and for .hack//sign credit part will be like seeing a dramatic jerry springer

[B-kun]

what do you mean by "ending"? Is it just a normal episode, right?


Well, you're sorta right, since there are 2 other episodes, but this is the end of the main story arc. Eps 27 and 28 are kind of add-ons. Plus, this is also the last ep of this current run. I think someone else said that ep one's airing next week.

[raykremer]

And now, the stunning anti-climax to .hack//SIGN!

One word of advice, when you're with an entity known to have the power to rip your soul from your body and trap it in a computer, don't piss her off.

Bets on whether or not they will show the proper episode 26 credits? I'm thinking they won't because they're stupid like that. I'll describe it afterwards for the bandwidth-impared unless somebody else wants to. It's a bit of an important epilogue.

[zig973]

On topic post:
The thing they zoomed in on in sora's room was a 4th grade class schedule

GO CN! You showed the full credits! Now I have saved much bandwidth!

And they got a VA for real-life tsukasa to say one line or am i hearing things again?

Wait... even better! No credits overlaying the ending! Now we get normal credits AND the ending! GO CN! Wait.. are the normal credits worth seeing a 26th time? hmm...

[GWOtaku]

I'll be damned. They're actually showing it. :)

[MattThomasM2B]

Lol....

Sorta funny....

I've been waiting forever for Sora to get his....and when he does.....he manages to do something praise worthy.....stupid world.

[ShanNAblah]

I'll be damned. They're actually showing it. :)

did you expect anything less

[raykremer]

They even got a clean copy. That whole bit in the real world originally had the credits over it.

[G1Ravage]

They Didn't Show It?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?

EDIT: Oh I see. So they showed the creditless version. I got to pissed off after the shortened credits started playing because I though CN had skipped it.

Still, it wasn't exactly the ending I was expecting. We only got to see Tsukasa's and Subaru's real life counterparts. What about Bear, BT, Sora, Crim, and Silver Knight?

[zig973]

did you expect anything lessWell they DID keep the original japanese credits on the opening...

[Umino]

..Um...so what happened to Sora? O.o

I'm kinda lost....

[Sir Gatts]

...

WTH?

So how did Tsukasa and the others logout?

[Animation Otaku]

So they showed the episode 26 credits and then the regular one? I figured they might have been skipping it and was expecting a horde of angry posters. Rock on CN!

And that ending rocked. I'm eager to see where this goes since it wasn't exactly completely wrapped up.

[Amano Ginji]

Wait.....so they showed it?

I thought they just did the normal ending credits..?

Or...what?

[hardway35]

Just before Tsuaska and Subura hands meet the background turn in to that textureless grid. Does that mean they are still in the world or is it just the prelude to the games?

[Animation Otaku]

Wait.....so they showed it?

I thought they just did the normal ending credits..?

Or...what?

From what I gather the bit before the credits was the real final episode credits, with the text removed.

[G1Ravage]

..Um...so what happened to Sora? O.o

I'm kinda lost....

It looks like it's all starting over....except now Sora is the new "Tsukasa".

[Amano Ginji]

Damnit, if they showed it after the short ending they show, I'm going to be VERY pissed..

[RedBoot]

So...the thing chasing Aura at the start of .hack/INFECTION...is Sora?

Wow. Good ending, anyway, even if it did leave some things open. But Tsukasa and Subaru's story was completed, and that's what the series was about in the end.

[The Detective]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

For the love of humanity!

That was the ending?

[Roger Smith]

This Episodes was Good very good and i will explain some thing

The Giant Celular is something Bad very Bad if you want too see what happened after the giant celular appear play .hack//mutation and you will see

In .hack//Infection Helba tells Kite he might be usefll to her cause he can do data drain he has the power to destroy skieth and the other waves (wait for .hack//quarentine to be explained)

[MrBananagrabber]

...

WTH?

So how did Tsukasa and the others logout?

When Helba "abandoned the area" that Skieth had appeared in, I believe it booted them all off.

As for the ending, I loved it. I, unfotunately, had the fact that Tsukasa was a girl spoiled for me months ago, but seeing the actual ending was still awesome. I really liked how the voice actress for Tsukasa went from speaking in the "Tsukasa" voice to the girl's voice at the end. The ending was really nice, kudos to CN for airing it. And it's great there was a creditless version, I really hope that makes it onto the DVD.

EDIT: As for people saying that lots of things were left unexplained, that's completely intentional. This story continues into the PS2 Games/OVA and into .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet.

[Amano Ginji]

Ah. Good.

[DemonKrowno]

..Um...so what happened to Sora? O.o

I'm kinda lost....

yee must play zee gamez

i know I will



I cried when sora went into the coma...well,almost...I was sad anyway. really a bad fate. just getting a true friend and then all that...*sigh*

[Jude Santos]

...

WTH?

So how did Tsukasa and the others logout?

Helba deleted the field and everyone got thrown out of the game, including Tsukasa (who just regained the ability to log out i think)

anyway, some things, yes, thats Sora in the real world collapsing, and that paper on his bulletin (the one they show after he collapsed) is a 4th grade schedule. put the two together :)

also, is it just me or is Tsukasa in real life kinda cute? and who else thinks the last scene when the real world, which was depicted in shades of gray, suddenly turned into color? powerful stuff right there folks.

[zig973]

It looks like it's all starting over....except now Sora is the new "Tsukasa".
Not quite. Tsukasa had free will to roam about The World. Sora doesn't.

[Tsukasa]

oh my god, that was...just so ****ing sad. what would you consider this "special ending" though? The speech Morganna gave Tsukasa in ep.1? I'm very confused. And crying my ass off lol. So yeah, whats goin on?

[Amano Ginji]

Great series!

:anime:

[G1Ravage]

I won't be playing the .Hack games because I only have a Gamecube. So I guess this is the end of .Hack for me.

[Jude Santos]

So...the thing chasing Aura at the start of .hack/INFECTION...is Sora?

Wow. Good ending, anyway, even if it did leave some things open. But Tsukasa and Subaru's story was completed, and that's what the series was about in the end.

the thing chasing Aura is Skeith, aka the Phase 1: Terror of Death. the one thing that CN didnt show was the "bumper" stating ".hack//SIGN, END, story continues in..." (of course, it continues through the games)

[bojcroc]

Ok, I thought that Aura and the voice were the same people, but now I see that they are different. Who is the voice, and why did it want Aura and Tsukasa and why does it want to mess things up?

And how did they get to log out at the end?

Is Sora in a different .hack series?

[GWOtaku]

..Um...so what happened to Sora? O.o

I'm kinda lost....

He was transformed into Skeith, i.e. an undefeatable monster. As we were shown this caused him to pass out, presumably into the same sort of unconscious state Tsukasa was in. By the way, there's a reason they gave us a shot of that calendar in his room. Its a 4th grade class schedule for Japanese children; this is supposed to clue us in on the fact that Sora is a young kid in real life--in case we hadn't figured that out already. :p


WTH?

So how did Tsukasa and the others logout?

Two guesses on this one:

1. Everyone was compelled to log out when Helba discarded the field
2. Everyone went somewhere else due to Helba's discarding the field, at which point they logged out.

In either case, Tsukasa was able to log out because he/she had the will and desire to do so.

Edit: Holy crap, an entire page of posts in the time it took me to write this. *whistle*

[RedBoot]

the thing chasing Aura is Skeith, aka the Phase 1: Terror of Death. the one thing that CN didnt show was the "bumper" stating ".hack//SIGN, END, story continues in..." (of course, it continues through the games)

I put this in spoilers just in case, but...Sora is Skeith, right?

[Tsukasa]

grr they bleeped my post. -_- anyway, im a little lost but whatever. BEST series ever ever ever. damn now im realy sad...

[The Detective]

I'm the only human being in the world under 28 that doesn't have a game console, no games for me..........I may buy one just for this.

SO lesse here unanswered questions:

WHAT THE HECK WAS THE KEY OF THE TWIGLIGHT?

What did the Key of The Twilight do?

What did Aurora awakening do?

What happened/happens to Sora?

What happened/happens to The Voice?

Why did Helba deleting the field automaticly kick Tsukasa out? If it was that easy they should have tried it a loooong time ago.


*looks at people logged on* lol so many folks on. Reminds me of the Justice League TWILIGHT talkback, there was like thirty folks on and the talkback grew like a page a minute. :anime:

Still majorly confused............

[DemonKrowno]

i tell ya,this has to be the best marketing ploy ever. from watching this series,I just gotta get all the games...man,they're good.

[Jude Santos]

He was transformed into Skeith, i.e. an undefeatable monster. As we were shown this caused him to pass out, presumably into the same sort of unconscious state Tsukasa was in. By the way, there's a reason they gave us a shot of that calendar in his room. Its a 4th grade class schedule for Japanese children; this is supposed to clue us in on the fact that Sora is a young kid in real life--in case we hadn't figured that out already. :p
[/b]

he wasnt transfomed, he was... (.hack//OUTBREAK spoilers)

absorbed into Skeith's staff. in OUTBREAK, you save him



Two guesses on this one:

1. Everyone was compelleted to log out when Helba discarded the field
2. Everyone went somewhere else due to Helba's discarding the field, at which point they logged out.

In either case, Tsukasa was able to log out because he/she had the will and desire to do so.
number 2 would be correct, although i was thinking everyone was logged out when helba discarded the field

[Demon_Child]

Tsukasa....Mimiru.....Subaru.....the world....ending...OH MY GOD!! *has a heart attack*
That was wonderful, that was great, that was beautiful!!*continues gushing*
We got to hear two "Oh my god"'s as well, cool.
That was a good ending I'm glad they kept the ending. It was clean so does that mean I should'nt tape over that part when I get the DVD 'cause there'll be text over it ?
Anyway .hack//SIGN Final Episode:A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BTW What .hack soundtrack is the instrumental version of Obsession on?

[RedBoot]

i tell ya,this has to be the best marketing ploy ever. from watching this series,I just gotta get all the games...man,they're good.

Very true. I got Infection a while ago, but I got sidetracked about halfway through. After this, though, I feel like starting back up...in fact, I'll go do that in a few minutes. I already have Mutation, I just need to beat Infection first...maybe I can beat both before Outbreak comes out.

[Conekiller]

Ok, what happened to Sora: he was Data Drained, like what happened to Ginkan in the first ep, he is now a fourth grader in acoma for playing a game.

The Monster at the end: Skeith, the final boss of the .hack//INFECTION (beyond that I'm unsure of)

Helba re-booted the system hoping to delete Skeith forcibly, but , we know, it doesn't work.

Nice to see that the ending was intact, and creditless (I had to ask my brother for confirmation, but still) Good job CN and bandai for realizing the potential problem with ending it with Helba dumping the system.

I knew Sora would come thru in the end, too bad about what happened to him. If that's the case i wonder why Morgana let Aura and co port outta there and not Sora.

I'm assuming Morgana was speaking to Aura at the end there, but the glowing monolinth piques my curiosity? has she been contained into a single entity? Ony the games can answer my questions now.

And BTW, Tsukasa makes for avery good looig young girl, I also found Subaru's true form cuter thna her online version as well. But me, as a whole, melts at the beauty that is Aura's eyes.

I wonder (again, or more, perhaps) why Aurra is so young in here but a mere 6 months later (in the games) she appears older and has ugly hair?

A++ "I wanna do it again"

I don't have the same emotiona attatchment to it as SIGN, so I'll just run out and borrow my buddie's DUSK fansubs.

[Duke]

WHAT THE HECK WAS THE KEY OF THE TWIGLIGHT?

According to .hack//FOR DUMMIES, the Key of the Twilight was that tablet Tsukasa absorbed in Episode 1.

[RedBoot]

Good job CN and bandai for realizing the potential problem with ending it with Helba dumping the system.

Yeah. If that episode had ended with the "Screen turning off" effect of that scene, I...well, I probably would have exploded.

[The Detective]

Tablet? Hmmmm. Episode one? Man I don't remember episode one...........must run out and buy all DVD's currently out........

[The Detective]

Yeah. If that episode had ended with the "Screen turning off" effect of that scene, I...well, I probably would have exploded.
So originally it ended with Helba dumping the field and everything goes black? *bows seven times before CN* Thank GOD they didn't leave it at that.

3,003 posts baby! The big 3,000 must have been a bit back on this thread. :)

[Conekiller]

he wasnt transfomed, he was... (.hack//OUTBREAK spoilers)
absorbed into Skeith's staff. in OUTBREAK, you save him


Ok, I guess I was slightly incorrect

I feel so dirty haivng read that spoiler box.........

[Tsukasa]

i have SUCH an emotional attatchment to that show i think i may go into mental withdraw. feh...im depressed. *this happens alot* She's headed for an emotional breakdown, hide!!! erg, im gonna be moping around and crying for a REEEAAALLY long time now, but it was SO worth it! i dont know what else to say except, DAMN! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!!! that is without a doubt the best best BEST series EVER!!! its great! but it was so sad...poor sora. dammit, are they TRYING to mess with my emotions or what?

[Jude Santos]

According to .hack//FOR DUMMIES, the Key of the Twilight was that tablet Tsukasa absorbed in Episode 1.

...i swear thats not right. it was the Epitaph of the Twilight that tsukasa opened in episode 1, which gave him the power to access the room with Aura...Romey?

[Jude Santos]

i have SUCH an emotional attatchment to that show i think i may go into mental withdraw. feh...im depressed. *this happens alot* She's headed for an emotional breakdown, hide!!! erg, im gonna be moping around and crying for a REEEAAALLY long time now, but it was SO worth it! i dont know what else to say except, DAMN! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!!! that is without a doubt the best best BEST series EVER!!! its great! but it was so sad...poor sora. dammit, are they TRYING to mess with my emotions or what?

lol, thats what i felt too, i actualy called in for work hehe

[Lord Dalek]

Wow! Kazunori Ito holds one final surprise that catches me completely off guard...

Tsukasa....A brunette? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ok, so that was a little lame.

Anyhoo, a terrific end to a terrific series that swallowed up 6 months of my life. Now, when the heck is Bandai gonna release Vol. 6?!

P.S.: Good thing, Ito stuck with the Chiaki Konaka-esque "spoken text" stuff to the bitter end. It's a shame that Udeden didn't keep up the tradition

[The Detective]

i have SUCH an emotional attatchment to that show i think i may go into mental withdraw. feh...im depressed. *this happens alot* She's headed for an emotional breakdown, hide!!! erg, im gonna be moping around and crying for a REEEAAALLY long time now, but it was SO worth it! i dont know what else to say except, DAMN! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!!! that is without a doubt the best best BEST series EVER!!! its great! but it was so sad...poor sora. dammit, are they TRYING to mess with my emotions or what?
Yeah I feel kind of sad now that it's over too. Saturday nights won't be the same any more. It's like whenever I read the Lord of the Rings......I swear I cry every single time I finish that book. Not quite as bad with .HACK but still.

[Tsukasa]

lol ya, i can just imagine how many people are going mental this very second. but seriously, maybe the creators of the show made it so that you felt unfishined or something. i mean...its like, you know there MUST be more to the show, but is there? O.o like, what about the other eps? there must be other eps! agh!

[G1Ravage]

During the ending, when Tsukasa and Subaru say a few words, they're translated onto the screen for us. But ONE of the things that Tsukasa says is transcribed onto the screen in a white font, which blended into the background. Does anybody know what she says there, or have a full transcription of the ending?

[Tsukasa]

a white font? when was that? i taped the whole series so i can just go back and check what it says if you like. i have the tape right here! ^_^ *feels smart*

[Conekiller]

Ok, I admit, i almost cried at the end.......almost

[G1Ravage]

lol ya, i can just imagine how many people are going mental this very second. but seriously, maybe the creators of the show made it so that you felt unfishined or something. i mean...its like, you know there MUST be more to the show, but is there? O.o like, what about the other eps? there must be other eps! agh!

There ARE two more eps for the show, which will be coming out on the last DVD release. So there's actually 28 eps. But they're just add-ons, and don't really wrap things up any more, IIRC.

[Lord Dalek]

During the ending, when Tsukasa and Subaru say a few words, they're translated onto the screen for us. But ONE of the things that Tsukasa says is transcribed onto the screen in a white font, which blended into the background. Does anybody know what she says there, or have a full transcription of the ending?

(Quickly runs back through tape) She says "I'm back".

[G1Ravage]

a white font? when was that? i taped the whole series so i can just go back and check what it says if you like. i have the tape right here! ^_^ *feels smart*

During the "creditless ending", I couldn't read one of the things that Tsukasa says to Subaru. I could just make out an outline of words underneath the Japanese text, but they blended with the background too much.

[Tsukasa]

thats what it loox like. O_o wow.........i just cant believe that's it...

[G1Ravage]

(Quickly runs back through tape) She says "I'm back".

A'right, thanks.

[hardway35]

Now am thinking to much about the ending and can't sleep. .hack is now somewhere in my top 10 animes list.

[Lord Dalek]

During the "creditless ending", I couldn't read one of the things that Tsukasa says to Subaru. I could just make out an outline of words underneath the Japanese text, but they blended with the background too much.

Look to my post above for your answer.

[G1Ravage]

Tsukasa's hot, IMO. :anime:

But her real life self looks a little like Mimiru in the game. :sweat:

And who was pushing Subaru's wheelchair? :confused:

[G1Ravage]

Look to my post above for your answer.

Look to my post above for my thanks. ;)

[The Detective]

During the ending, when Tsukasa and Subaru say a few words, they're translated onto the screen for us. But ONE of the things that Tsukasa says is transcribed onto the screen in a white font, which blended into the background. Does anybody know what she says there, or have a full transcription of the ending?
I don't remember having any trouble reading it.

And yes, I'm lurking on this thread. So what? :p

[Tsukasa]

ya, it definately says, "I'm back!" yep yep yep! sad.........

[Lord Dalek]

Ok, I admit, i almost cried at the end.......almost

That didn't stop me seven weeks ago (sniff snff).... Oh look, now I'm over klempt.

[Jude Santos]

ok, i thought id give my 'final thoughts, SIGN on CN ends' (switches to anime reporter mode)

.hack//SIGN is one of my favorite anime series' of all time, if not, THE BEST I've ever seen. At first, I was worried becuase a lot of people in the Anime Community (*what I'd like to call, "The AC") totally disregarded .hack//SIGN because of its "slow pace", "boring storyline", "endless dialogue" and "repetitive music". I'm happy that .hack got a tremendous response in this thread. First time viewers (who watched SIGN on SVES and enjoyed it), you got to experience one of the best anime series' out there, something the people in "The AC" didn't get to experience becuase they only watched 11 episodes. I've seen an estimated 250 anime titles, and so far, .hack//SIGN still reigns in character development, story, character designs, directing...and oh yeah, the music! All I have left to say is, continue to support .hack, buy the games (I think Romey has a link in his avatar), watch the OVA's, buy the manga (vol. 1 out now) and watch .hack/Tasogar no Udewa Densetsu, I can guarantee that you'll enjoy it :)

(anime reporter mode off)

[Will Sturnick]

A good, yet mildly confusing ending. I wish that hadn't happened to Sora, he was my favorite character in the show. While I was somewhat confused as what ultimately happened to Sora, but a friend sorted it out for me.
Now for the show as a whole, I'll give the whole show a A-.

[Tsukasa]

wow that was depressing. i admit, i was crying so much...i dont think ive cried that much in a while...woo... *looks the garbagebin full of tissues* ehe...that was sad... how the hell am i gonna get to sleep?!?!?!?! im too upset to sleep! ;_; i need a hug!!!

[Lord Dalek]

ya, it definately says, "I'm back!" yep yep yep! sad.........

And yet surprisingly upbeat. Considered how bleak some episodes of this show have been (that ep. where the Grunty died is now my #1 all time pick of most depressing episode of any anime ever), it's great to see the characters emerge from the darkness and into the light (i.e: the transition from fuzzy white&gray to full color).

[Artemis]

I feel so dirty haivng read that spoiler box.........

Get your mind out of the gutter. :p


Man, I was out all day. I missed X-Men Evo, Knights of the Zodiac, Teen Titans, and Rurouni Kenshin.

Thank GOD I made it back in time for .hack//SIGN's ending. True, i saw it Japanese already, but that was only once and I barely remember it.

Anyway, I felt sorta cheated not knowing the answers to some questions, but then I learned that this is not the "true" ending. The .hack saga continues.

Well I don't real feel like going in depth so I'll just say this.....Subaru's cuter in real life than in The World. :p

End!

[Jude Santos]

wow that was depressing. i admit, i was crying so much...i dont think ive cried that much in a while...woo... *looks the garbagebin full of tissues* ehe...that was sad... how the hell am i gonna get to sleep?!?!?!?! im too upset to sleep! ;_; i need a hug!!!

well, you're just gonna have to buy the games, they do have cameos :)

[Tea]

Gah! I can't believe I missed the final episode... =/ Nut bunnies.. Guess it's a good thing I've seen it subbed. *shrug*

When I finished this series last year I felt a little confused.. the ending barely tied up anything other than Morgana feeds that "You're the chosen one" to anyone she wants. I bet they want me to buy all the games, dammit. >< Oh well. Poor Sora.

[The Detective]

Poor Sora. If he had just warped out with the others.......poor guy. Er...kid.

[Conekiller]

Get your mind out of the gutter. :p

It's not that, I just made such a strong effort to avoid spoilers, it's just that now I don't fee compelled to ignore them anymore.

Fatal: the maga is out already!? when was it released? is it in Graphic Novel format? or as a monthly release?

[Tsukasa]

ya, i know. it's good seeing them all in the games i suppose (i own infection & mutation), but it's just not the same... *gets all nostalgic* i cant wait for vol.3! but even though everyone's like, "It's not over yet! Don't be sad!" i cant help it...i definately need to get the manga now! and geez, the pace they're selling the dvds, its gruesome! three-five months apart! gimme a break! but stil...when does Tasogar no udewa densetsu come out in dub? or is it? (dont hate me) anyways, god now i feel i just HAVE to get the rest of the stuff. i'll be a devoted .hack fan for the rest of my lifetime, no doubt about it! ^_~ and when are those novels coming out in english?

[Lord Dalek]

Does anybody know if they dubbed Aura or not? She kinda sounded like Maya Sakamoto to me.

[Artemis]

It's not that, I just made such a strong effort to avoid spoilers, it's just that now I don't fee compelled to ignore them anymore.



Wait, so you felt dirty because you usually avoid spoilers but you read one anyway? Not because of the original posters interesting choice of words (ie. absorbed into his "staff")

Maybe I should get my mind out of the gutter. :o

[The Detective]

It's not that, I just made such a strong effort to avoid spoilers, it's just that now I don't fee compelled to ignore them anymore.

Fatal: the maga is out already!? when was it released? is it in Graphic Novel format? or as a monthly release?
My thoughts exactly. So, details?

[Anime Guy]

Poor Sora. If he had just warped out with the others.......poor guy. Er...kid.

Yeah, he had the chance. Why didn't he just warp out instead of staying to tell off that voice?

[Animation Otaku]

Has the .hack story been completely resolved in Japan or is it still going?

[Tsukasa]

lol, veeeerrry interesting words!

[Jude Santos]

Fatal: the maga is out already!? when was it released? is it in Graphic Novel format? or as a monthly release?

yea, i saw it on Waldenbooks the other day.

Tsukasa (the user, not the character from the series): Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu will be out most likely after .hack//sign, id imagine it'd come out right after sign ends


Does anybody know if they dubbed Aura or not? She kinda sounded like Maya Sakamoto to me.

she does play Aura...i think (or maybe it was Megumi Hayashibara? i always get those two mixed up)

[Tsukasa]

thanx much Fatal! ^_^

[TnAdct1]

Yeah, he had the chance. Why didn't he just warp out instead of staying to tell off that voice?

Because Sora's a cocky player who finds fun in online RPG's by killing others and telling off older, more experienced players. Besides, I think he was only helping the voice because she had control of Aura, with him betraying her when Aura woke up.

[Jude Santos]

Has the .hack story been completely resolved in Japan or is it still going?

well, yes and no i guess. jerry chu said there werent any plans to make any more animated .hack. however, .hack//ZERO, a novel taking place after sign, but before infection is just coming out, i have volume 1, im not sure if any volumes will be coming. also, Kazunari Ito said in an gaming magazine that they're interested in making more .hack games...so yea

[Lord Dalek]

Yeah, he had the chance. Why didn't he just warp out instead of staying to tell off that voice?
Because he's Sora and thats what he does! See episode 5 (since it's the only one that comes to my mind at this time) for an example.

[Anime Guy]

Wait, so you felt dirty because you usually avoid spoilers but you read one anyway? Not because of the original posters interesting choice of words (ie. absorbed into his "staff")

Maybe I should get my mind out of the gutter. :o

I always read spoilers, I like knowing what's going to happen before it happens. And now for a quote of the moment, "Err, your sexual innuendo is priceless."- :moon: Also, minds belong in the gutter, it's makes life a whole lot funnier that way.

[TnAdct1]

she does play Aura...i think (or maybe it was Megumi Hayashibara? i always get those two mixed up)

You're correct. It's Maya Sakamoto who voiced Aura. BTW, she also voices Natsume (the video game equivelent to A-20) in the .hack video games.

[Tsukasa]

ya but it was sad no matter how headstrong sora was. data drain looks really painful too. ^_^;; ouchie! the thing i was thinking, does this possibly have any biblical reference? i mean, it is sorta reminiscent of crucifixion, or is it just me noticing the little things!?

[Sinsio]

Yeah, he [Sora] had the chance. Why didn't he just warp out instead of staying to tell off that voice?

Simply because it wasn't Sora's style to leave without bantering with Morgana.

[Anime Guy]

Because Sora's a cocky player who finds fun in online RPG's by killing others and telling off older, more experienced players. Besides, I think he was only helping the voice because she had control of Aura, with him betraying her when Aura woke up.

I can understand that, it's fun to do that kind of stuff. It really sucks when you find out that they can control you.

[Lord Dalek]

[qoute]she does play Aura...i think (or maybe it was Megumi Hayashibara? i always get those two mixed up)[/QUOTE]

It's Sakamoto, the only .hack seiyuu I've actualy heard of. I was just wondering since Aura didn't really say anything. Did Bandai bother to dub her. Or did they pull a Koichi Yamadera on us? (a nickle if you get that reference!)

[JTurner954]

Well, that was interesting. I really liked the real world sequence when it turned to color. Tsukasa is a girl after all ... I don't have any reaction to this revelation as I just accepted it. Usual comments: Great pacing, great music (Top 5 best in anime for sure), and I still dislike Sora (I just can't figure the kid out).

It figures that once again we are left with questions. Here's one that I didn't see asked yet: Does Tsukasa accept Bear's adoption suggestion? Hopefully, the ratings did well enough that another series is made to answer some of these questions (that ending with "The Voice" makes me think there will be a continuation). Like FLCL, I'm going to end up watching this series again, though I have the feeling I might enjoy the show even more as I am more satisfied with .hack sign than Fooly Cooly.

Overall grade: A-

Overall series grade: This is tricky. Some episodes moved too slow, but others did not. The fact that it was one episode a week also slowed the enjoyment some (though that's not the series' fault). I also did not appreciate those spoilers that leaked out every once in a while :mad: Hmm ... well usually when I see that a show is mediocre/good, I'll stop watching midway through. Here, I have watched every week, including the time it re-started on SVES. I even recorded Ep. 25 (while on vacation) on a tape where I was trying to group DBZ and Big O episodes in order. The temptation of what would happen next week was so great that I gave up that rule, and I didn't regret it. The more I think about this show, the more I want to see ... more. I'm giving it an A-.

My .hack sign viewing experience was even more enjoyable thanks to people like Fatal and Romey who were nice enough to keep spoilers in spoiler boxes ( :cool: ). It's that kind of dedication and respect for TV shows and movies that makes me proud to read/post at message boards :anime: :D :) :cool: .

P.S.: I also don't have a PS2. Oh, and sorry about the long post. Thanks for reading.

[Lord Dalek]

You're correct. It's Maya Sakamoto who voiced Aura. BTW, she also voices Natsume (the video game equivelent to A-20) in the .hack video games.

And Hitomi Kan- Whoops! Wrong series...

[Anime Guy]

Simply because it wasn't Sora's style to leave without bantering with Morgana.

Morgana, is that the voice? Can someone explain this?

[Lord Dalek]

Morgana, is that the voice? Can someone explain this?

Morgana is the official name for the voice although she's never once refered to by that name in the series. Sorta like Doctor Who 'cept for that one episode.

[Tsukasa]

Morgana/Morguanna/Morganna/Morgaanaa/Morguana, however you say it or spell it, thats supposedly the Voice's name, although, i dont recall hearing that anywhere in the series... O.o what ep was that?

[Anime Guy]

Morgana is the official name for the voice although she's never once refered to by that name in the series. Sorta like Doctor Who 'cept for that one episode.

Cool, so what is Morgana? Is she a player or a mod or what?

[Tsukasa]

oooooh good! so im not insane! i was trying to remember whne she was referred to. so, how did that name come about? was her character Morgana from the start?

[Lord Dalek]

Morgana/Morguanna/Morganna/Morgaanaa/Morguana, however you say it or spell it, thats supposedly the Voice's name, although, i dont recall hearing that anywhere in the series... O.o what ep was that?

William Hartnell, "The War Machines", Episode 2 (man, I feel like Bear)

[Tsukasa]

shes supposedly "the world", like seriously the actual world. but my take on it is that she was in the beta version of the world from the beginning, "Fragment". but how she got imbedded in the data...i have NO idea.

[Lord Dalek]

Cool, so what is Morgana? Is she a player or a mod or what?
I think she's an older attempt by Howick to creat Aura that went insane.

[Tsukasa]

wow, thats really ****ed up. pardon my french. (tremors! rock on!)

[Sanwich]

I'm generally a lurker 'round here, but I figured I may as well add my kudos to the already overwhelming praise for this series. ;)

At first, I was a little wary of this episode, merely because a lot of folks has deemed it 'anticlimactic' and 'unsatisfying'. Personally, I'm surprised at how much they revealed - and finally seeing Tsukasa and Subaru interact in the real world was a wonderful treat. :> I'm not much of a crier, but I was pretty much rendered speechless by the show's end... I could probably sum it up with a big 'Wow'. :)

The only thing I sort of regret is not seeing Mimiru and Bear in reality... And I'm going to tell myself Bear actually did adopt Tsukasa in the end, whether or not it was confirmed - just to make myself feel better. ;) I had been waiting for Bear to suggest something like that, and when he brought it up a couple episodes ago, I almost shouted 'YES!' at the television. n_n;

And while I had thought Tsukasa was a girl pretty much from the start (how could any writer pass up that chance, misleading your audience by playing on their assumption that everyone role-plays a character of their real gender?), I was kept on the edge of my seat about that anyway... Due to the number of posts around here - 'Tsukasa's a girl!', 'You don't know that for sure...', 'I'm sure he's a guy!', 'No, he's a girl!' You folks sure know how to cover spoilers by confusing the heck out of people. ;)

Long story short, this one's made my top 10 anime list.

[Tsukasa]

its weird, i havent really had this reaction to the ending of an anime for a while. its like...you wanna do it again, and watch the whole series over and over, but it wouldnt be the same, i'm really confused...this series really mixed up my emotions. -_- as dumb as it may sound, it's like Eva, it has such a profound effect on people it's insane. anyone else still in withdraw?

[Romanesque]

(I know some of these replies are redundant, but I figure it's not a bad thing to lump a whole bunch of clarifications into one post...)

He was transformed into Skeith, i.e. an undefeatable monster.

As was pointed out, Sora was simply Data Drained by Skeith. (This particular Data Drain being identical to the one in the games, in both its visual appearance and its effect... i.e. not resulting in a Tsukasa-like condition, either.)

WHAT THE HECK WAS THE KEY OF THE TWIGLIGHT?

According to .hack//FOR DUMMIES, the Key of the Twilight was that tablet Tsukasa absorbed in Episode 1.

...i swear thats not right. it was the Epitaph of the Twilight that tsukasa opened in episode 1, which gave him the power to access the room with Aura...Romey?

First off, that's not what .hack for Dummies says. It simply states that the cell-phone-looking monolith at the beginning of the first episode and the end of the last episode is the "Tablet of the Twilight" (or something like that), which is supposedly another form of the "Twilight Tombstone" which Tsukasa recieves at the end of the first episode, and on the Twilight Tombstone is inscribed the Epitaph of the Twilight.

Rhyste, the author of .hack for Dummies, believes that Tsukasa himself (or more precisely, his/her will) is the Key of the Twilight, a conclusion which I'd also come to, myself.

What did the Key of The Twilight do?

The "Key of the Twilight" opened "Twilight's Eye", or so I reason. Remember during the Twilight Eye episode, there was this quote of a mysterious BBS posting:

"When the Twilight Eye doth open, so too shall the path to me. Discourse with me, and against that power, fight. When the Key which overturns all is possessed, everything shall unfold."

The events of that episode suggest that BT opened Twilight's Eye, which led to Harold... but, I believe it has a deeper meaning, beyond what the characters thought at the time. As Subaru wondered, who does the "me" in that quote refer to?

Now, during the same episode, there was also this bit of dialogue...


Tsukasa: "What you were saying the other day, about the Key of the Twilight."

Bear: "Yes?"

Tsukasa: "I want to look for it, too. But, promise me one thing."

Bear: "What is it?"

Tsukasa: "If we find it, can I use it?"

Bear: "Of course."

Tsukasa: "Do you promise?"

Bear: "I promise."

Mimiru: "Tsukasa, are you going to log out with it?"

Tsukasa: "No."

Mimiru: "Then what?"

Tsukasa: "I want to open her eyes."

Bear: "Who? Whose eyes?"

Tsukasa: "The girl... who's always sleeping."


Tsukasa succeeded in opening Aura's eyes, apparently without obtaining the Key... but could he have had that Key all along? Try reading the BBS posting like this:

"When the Aura's Eyes open, so too shall the path to her. Discourse with her, and against that power, fight. When the Key which overturns all is possessed, everything shall unfold."

That makes even more sense in the context of the games. Knowing "that power" to be Morganna, how is she fought? Only by first conversing with Aura...?

Now, consider that "Aura" is quite likely derived from "Aurora", who was the Roman's "Goddess of the Dawn". Consider again that both Dawn and Dusk are "Twilight". That would make Aura's eyes literally equivalent to "Twilight's Eye", as Aura herself is Twilight.

There's also the lyrics in the song "Key of the Twilight"...


Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile

. . .

Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now fly me there

. . .

Consolations, be there
In my dreamland to come
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now take me there


So the Key of Twilight equals Tsukasa's will, and Twilight's Eye equals Aura? Seems logical to me.


What did Aurora awakening do?

What happened/happens to Sora?

What happened/happens to The Voice?

Why did Helba deleting the field automaticly kick Tsukasa out? If it was that easy they should have tried it a loooong time ago.

Aura's awakening... hasn't done anything yet. That's a spoiler-ish topic covered more by the games.

Sora, as explained above, was simply Data Drained, and imprisoned.

The Voice is now quite angry, and ready to wage virtual war to destroy the awakened Aura.

Helba's deleting the field didn't necessarily kick Tsukasa out. Having awakened Aura, he could then log out at any time. Now being able to log out would then allow him to be disconnected from the server much like any normal user.

Cool, so what is Morgana? Is she a player or a mod or what?

As Morganna states in Episode 25, she is "The World". She was created to help awaken Aura (sort of a virtual midwife deal), but Morganna turned against her creator and chose to keep Aura asleep.

--Romey

[RedBoot]

Here's one that I didn't see asked yet: Does Tsukasa accept Bear's adoption suggestion?

That's something I really want to know. That scene was pretty much the completion of Bear's character (His responce "Call it...a second chance." was great), and it would be disappointing if they just left it unresolved. I know Tsukasa and co. appear in the games, so maybe they reveal it then.

Although, if it's not revealed, then they probably meant to infer that Tsukasa did accept. After all, why even bring it up otherwise?

as dumb as it may sound, it's like Eva, it has such a profound effect on people it's insane. anyone else still in withdraw?

Some series are like that, they really leave an impact on you. In my opinion, that's the sign of a truly good series. .hack is definetly like that, as is Eva, FLCL, Cowboy Bebop, The Big O (the first half, anyway, dunno about the second yet), and Outlaw Star (though that last one might just be me).

I think the payoff was especially good here, as we've all been following this show for 26 weeks (30 if you count the initial Toonami airings). To put so much time into something, waiting for it each week, and have it finally end in such a way will truly leave an effect on you.

[Jude Santos]

omg romey, i never even considered that...now it makes more sense :)

what would i do without you...(or The World BBS for the same reason...do you know if its coming back up?)

[Jude Santos]

That's something I really want to know. That scene was pretty much the completion of Bear's character (His responce "Call it...a second chance." was great), and it would be disappointing if they just left it unresolved. I know Tsukasa and co. appear in the games, so maybe they reveal it then.

Although, if it's not revealed, then they probably meant to infer that Tsukasa did accept. After all, why even bring it up otherwise?


they do, dont worry ;) although the answer IS quite obvious

[Sacos]

Did anyone else who has played Infection scream when the red cross appeared behind Sora? I know I did :eek: Also now that I have watched all of the series the ending for Infection is a lot sadder. When I first played it I didn't have any emotional attachment to Aura so at the end when something really bad happens I didn't much care, now I'm sad
:(

[Romanesque]

Ah, just remembered another thing...

During the closing scene with Tsukasa in the Real World, there's an interesting little detail that can't quite be translated into English. Normally, when Tsukasa speaks of himself, he uses the rather masculine pronoun "boku" as opposed to something more neutral / slightly more feminine, such as "watashi". At the part in the end where he thinks to himself, "I'm here" (Boku wa koko ni iru), he uses his usual "boku", but when she speaks out loud, she switches to "watashi" to say the same phrase, "I'm here" (Watashi wa koko ni iru).

omg romey, i never even considered that...now it makes more sense :)

what would i do without you...(or The World BBS for the same reason...do you know if its coming back up?)

Thankee. :D

The World BBS is supposedly going to return, but no one seems to know when... Though if you haven't heard of it already, many people from The World BBS have migrated over to .hack//INFO (http://dothack.info/forum/).

--Romey

[Sir Gatts]

...

So then concluded, The World still remains under chaos. If everyone was forced to logout once the map had been removed, much question would lie upon of what had become of Skieth and Aura, as they both appear to be bound to The World's server and can not logout.

• As Morganna is the client that makes up The World, it can not be expected that resolve would come at the hand of Morganna's destruction, as that destruction would completely destroy The World itself to the point where The World may no longer function. Therefore Morganna would need to be controlled or manipulated in a way that these malicious desires would come to an end.

• If Aura does hold an threat or desire to Morganna, and is still alive, I would expect Morganna to pursue Aura either for power or for self-preservation.

In all, it makes for an good ending, if it has been planed to build an second season or an equivalent to an continuation. Though I can't shake this feeling that we've been through so much and accomplished only little.

Overall for this episode: 8.5/10
Overall for this season: 8/10

[Romanesque]

Now that we've all seen what happens to Sora...

Some collectable images of Sora and Skeith from CyberConnect2 (http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/)'s website:

http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/hack/room/sora/soramyong05.jpg
http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/hack/room/sora/soramyong04.jpg
http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/hack/room/sora/soramyong03.jpg
http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/hack/room/sora/soramyong02.jpg
http://www.cyberconnect2.jp/hack/room/sora/soramyong01.jpg

Note that Skeith's staff was originally a Celtic cross, too...

--Romey

[Tsukasa]

ooh, i found something quite interesting. i was searching for the hack mangas and i found this: http://www.rightstuf.com/news/archive.shtml scroll donw, but if you cant find, read:

Bandai
- News: -
*Next .hack series coming in 2nd quarter of 2004
*.hack audio CDs will begin to be released individually in Oct.
*.hack//Sign episodes 27 and 28 currently in production. Going to be part of a 2-disc set with volume 6
*.hack//Sign vol. 5 will come with a box for .hack audio CDs

interesting, no? i could use a box for all those damn cds lol. but what did they mean by: "NEXT .hack series"??? im really confused, but also excited! could there be a second season to .hack? ^_^

and also:

PIX AND INFO ON THE 5TH VOLUME OF .HACK: http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/v5e=KEwjqVnHh6fMt6/browse/item/60733/4/0/0

no news on volume six yet, except for it MAY have a box for holding all the PS 2 games, with some very interesting artwork! that's all i have for now, but i'll keep looking! ^_^

[Sacos]

I was wondering if anyone knew what .hack//Unison is? I'm pretty sure that was what the name was. I was at an english website (the name escapes me so I can't go back and check) that sells DVDs and JPOP just as they came out in Japan and it had listed a DVD called .hack//Unision or something similer. It said that the disk had all four Liminality OVAs and they made it seem like it also had another new OVA. I was just wondering if anyone else knows anything about it.

[Tsukasa]

i'll go check it out since im currently on a research rampage. it's 3:30 AM and i still cant sleep. it sounds vaguely familiar... -_- ill go figure something out! brb

[B-kun]

I was wondering if anyone knew what .hack//Unison is? I'm pretty sure that was what the name was. I was at an english website (the name escapes me so I can't go back and check) that sells DVDs and JPOP just as they came out in Japan and it had listed a DVD called .hack//Unision or something similer. It said that the disk had all four Liminality OVAs and they made it seem like it also had another new OVA. I was just wondering if anyone else knows anything about it.


Oh, I think I know what you're talking about - .hack//INTEGRATION. It's a DVD box with all 4 LIMINALITY volumes, ep 28 of SIGN, and the Legend of the Twilight Bracelet radio drama. It's being released in October.

I'm gonna go ahead and go to bed... But before I do.. Congrats, everyone. ._.;;; Do y'all realise that you filled up nearly 7 pages in ONE NIGHT?

[Tsukasa]

alright! go me! found it in one minute! right ok, here: http://www.rpgwh.net/content/comments/1057952249,37358,.php and http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q3-2003/071003d.html there! actually, integration and unison are the same thing, so thats pretty much it!

[Sacos]

Thanks. It was prob me remembering things wrong, it happens sometimes.

[dawnyoshi]

...wow. my brain is hurting. .hack is like the anime equivalent to an acip trip...


dammit. Now I have to wait for dusk. This is going to be a long many months...

A+

[ClockStomper]

Sucks to be on the west coast...

Loved the episode, but I'm not falling into the trap of playing the games to find out about Sora. But how well do the anime and video games fit together? Do they mention characters by name or do they be ambigous because of accessibility issues ("people might not have see this...so let's just have him be some green haired guy who's on screen for a few seconds."

The R/L scene was just beautiful. But I couldn't make out Subaru's text...(bad TV)

So, what IS Bear's real life occupation?

Aura looked adorable.

[CaptainRed]

Gah... I'veonly seen a small handfull of episodes... but most of the more recent ones. Now It'll take somewhere approaching six months to see the whole thing. :¬(

Meh.

I won't be playing the .Hack games because I only have a Gamecube. So I guess this is the end of .Hack for me.

Ditto on that... sort of. I'm just waiting for the PS2 to hit $50 like the PS1 did, then I get to see things continue. >;¬)

*honks hugs and whatever else*
Cappy Red

[Monfriez]

I'm I the only one who saw that Tsukasa and Subaru were still trapped in Morgana's world at then end?

I'd like to say more but I'm out of time.

[TsuiTsui]

WOW, I was surprised that the last .hack//SIGN episode generated this many pages in the talkback thread after one night!

I also had the initial assumption that the ending credits did not show since CN's version came up at the end, but I was so happy that I was wrong and that the ending was textless! :anime:

In addition, I agree that the final scene's color change from black & white to color was a very dramatic effect. I was extremely touched by that entire moment when "Tsukasa" and "Subaru" finally met in real life! The background music, "Grandpa's Violin," added a sweetness to that scene. :anime:

The scene when Sora was data drained was a shocker for me! Yes, after seeing Skeith show up, I felt like playing the .hack PS2 games again. Now I am eagerly awaiting for .hack//OUTBREAK to be released! :D

Someone from one of the earlier posts had asked for information about the instrumental strings version of "Obsession" that played in the beginning of the episode. That version is in the album titled .hack//EXTRA soundtrack, which has the cover with Aura holding a teddy bear.

The ending scene is still stuck in my mind. I LOVE this series! :anime:

[Lord Dalek]

So, what IS Bear's real life occupation?


He's the author of Anwnn the fantasy novel that Silver Knight and Crim practicaly revere. Notice when Mimiru asks Bear if HE ever read Anwnn he gives her an "Uhh, yeah, sort of look."

[Lord Dalek]

Someone from one of the earlier posts had asked for information about the instrumental strings version of "Obsession" that played in the beginning of the episode. That version is in the album titled .hack//EXTRA soundtrack, which has the cover with Aura holding a teddy bear.



The only real problem about that song is it's realllllyy long (I think it's the longest in the series), that's why I haven't bothered downloading it yet. Good thing Extra soundtrack comes out day after tomorow though.

[Killtacular]

I'm I the only one who saw that Tsukasa and Subaru were still trapped in Morgana's world at then end?
I saw that too, but I think that's a little too "Are you Afraid of the Dark" for this show.

[Demon_Child]

Originally Posted by TsuiTsui
Someone from one of the earlier posts had asked for information about the instrumental strings version of "Obsession" that played in the beginning of the episode. That version is in the album titled .hack//EXTRA soundtrack, which has the cover with Aura holding a teddy bear.
That was me! Thank you! Now do you (or anyone else) know where I can get the CD? :sweat: Sorry, I got all my other .hack soundtracks at a con........

[Cyporiean]

That was me! Thank you! Now do you (or anyone else) know where I can get the CD? :sweat: Sorry, I got all my other .hack soundtracks at a con........

Tuesday..

DVD Vol. 4 LE comes out on Tuesday..

[Stryker_Delta]

Well I liked the acting and the anime was that of Z Gundam-ish. Due to it being released in 1986. :D

But overall it was really good.

[Dr Kain]

All right, now the games have made a lot more sense to me. Excellent series, with a cool ending. I loved seeing Skeith Data Drain Sora, even though Sora was a cool character. So, he must be one of the people that Harold was telling Mai that were put into comas due to the game in Liminality Ep1. I wonder if Sora ever wakes up. Anyway, the ending was cool, and both my g/f and I cannot figure out where people think Tsukasa and Subaru are lesbians. There is no sign of it at all. Anyway, I can't wait for part3 to come out. Also, Vol4 LE is already out, and the soundtrack is excellent. It has the evil version to Aura on there, which is just as cool as the regular version.

It is sad it is over with, but I'm alsom happy that I have seen the end now.

[Tash]

Is .hack//sign making a full run? I'm thinking about taping the series, but I don't want to if it's goning to be replaced after 13 episodes.


Now let me get this ".Hack" thing strait:
It's a big thingy that spans over lot of medias and to fully understand it, you need to have come in contact with those medias.

I'm confused. How many .Hack things are there?

[Dr Kain]

There is:

.hack//SIGN 26 eps (+2 extra eps)
.hack//INFECTION-QUARANTINE (4 games)
.hack//Liminality (4 OVA eps)
.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet (manga and 12 ep series)

[Jude Santos]

Now let me get this ".Hack" thing strait:
It's a big thingy that spans over lot of medias and to fully understand it, you need to have come in contact with those medias.

I'm confused. How many .Hack things are there?

the most common question actually. well it goes like this (in order):

AI BUSTER (novel)
SIGN (tv series)
ZERO (novel)
The Games (vol. 1-4) and Liminality (too tired to list out seperatly)
Legend of the Twilight Bracelet (tv series and manga)

[Wilco911]

So, he must be one of the people that Harold was telling Mai that were put into comas due to the game in Liminality Ep1.

Psst, that wasn't Harold. Harold is the white haired guy at the very begining of Liminality Ep 1 in the graveyard. You know, the one that looks exactly like the 'Broken Man' copy in //sign? :sweat:

[SSJPabs]

Whelp, series is over now. Fatal knows quite a bit about it, and I'll admit, Bandai had me suckered into buying the games (OUTBREAK comes out Sept. 9) but not another piece of .hack stuff will I buy. Take me advice you DON'T want .hack//DUSK to come out, just stick with the manga.

It's a real shame that now that I finally see the scene, I have to revise my opinion that Sora = Skeith. It would have made a much better story if he was. Oh well.

[PearlRose86]

Great episode. It's hard to believe it's all over, though. I am very impressed with CN for airing the full "special" credits, as well. Go CN!

Dang. Now I'm half-tempted to go out and buy a Playstation so I can see how the story continues.


-Maggie

[Cyporiean]

I've seen //TWILGIHT, its truely not as bad as everyone seems to make it out to be.. So its Chibi at times.. big deal, all the players that are from the other stories appear exactly as they should.. so who cares if Neo-Kite and Neo-Blackrose are slightly Chibi? Kite was pretty short to begin with..

[Dr Kain]

Psst, that wasn't Harold. Harold is the white haired guy at the very begining of Liminality Ep 1 in the graveyard. You know, the one that looks exactly like the 'Broken Man' copy in //sign? :sweat:

I haven't watch Liminality in a while. What was the brown haried man's name?

[Tash]

.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet (manga and 12 ep series)

Are they seprate, or is the series an animated form of the Manga?

(sorry for sounding dumb, but I don't know too much about .hack)

[lostrune]

That was OK. I'm in between you guys and Anthony Baranyi, the Canadian family man who keeps up with current Japanese language TV anime. Back when .Hack//Sign started airing on Japanese TV, after a few eps, he gave up on it. It was too slow, even for him who appreciates these kinds of deliberate stories.

Anyway, here's a treat for those of you who can't or don't want to play the games and the accompanying .Hack//Liminality OVAs. Read the following thread, courtesy of Curtis Hoffman:

There was an earlier complaint that some people don't like the gameplay for the .hack games, and a wish that someone would summarize the story in the games for those that don't want to pay out the money for them.

Well, I'm not going to go back and replay the first two games just to write up what happens in them. I will do the next best thing though. The following posts are summaries of the OAVs that come with the game, secrets from the easter eggs on the OAV DVDs, and useful information that appears in the "e-mails" that come from the NPCs in the game. This is only for the first 2 parts of the English version. Part three won't be released in the U.S. for at least another 10 days.


.hack - Information about The World from the game and OAVs thread ('http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=6v80lvo2d1qel0q0cn7evn2k919e3pkc39%404ax.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26selm%3D6v80lvo2d1qel0q0cn7evn2k919e3pkc39%25404ax.com')

I hope that helps expand your insights of the .Hack franchise. :)

[HumanoidTyphoon]

I'm I the only one who saw that Tsukasa and Subaru were still trapped in Morgana's world at then end?
I saw that too, but I think that's a little too "Are you Afraid of the Dark" for this show.I saw it too, and I wouldn't expect it from the show either, but why else would they do that?:confused:

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this.:sweat: I'm still confused about certian things mainly Maha, Aura, and Morgana. Appartently I have to get the games now maybe they will help make things clearer. I just hope they will be as good as this series was.

[Michael]

twas really good series in my opinion! Bummer that it is over now :(

[SSJPabs]

I've seen //TWILGIHT, its truely not as bad as everyone seems to make it out to be.. So its Chibi at times.. big deal, all the players that are from the other stories appear exactly as they should.. so who cares if Neo-Kite and Neo-Blackrose are slightly Chibi? Kite was pretty short to begin with..Not so bad?
Why I don't like .hack//DUSK TV show

Note that Chibi is not a problem.
1. Incestuousness that's not cute, not interesting, but DULL and TRITE.
2. Except for Shougo there was NO character development.
3. WASTED the appearance of Ginkan.
4. The hacker kids were used almost exclusively as Dues Ex-Machina.
5. Wasted the chance to learn more about the CC Corp (we know next to nothing about them even after AI Buster, SIGN, Zero, Liminality, the games and DUSK)
6. Story makes little sense even by .hack standards (c'mon everyone who ever interacted with Rena? The one hacker girl shared the goal of the Wandering AI?)
7. Ambiguous Ending (normally I'm okay with them but c'mon we had ambigous endings to almost all of the various sections of .hack. End the story Bandai instead of milking us for all the money you can!)
8. Zero connections to the real world
9. Cheesey Villain (I'd rather have Morganna back!)
10. I really want to put the incest down here again but I won't.

[JohnCrichton]

What............... the............... frell......... :confused:

This series left me lost and panicked like an abandoned crying child in a department store! :eek:

I've got more questions.... than I even know how to ask.

Who's Helba?

Where were they by the end of this series? I heard so much talk of world jumping that.... I dunno!

What's up with this game that.... stuff happened???? What's up with this game?!?!?!

Why're characters sometimes upside down?

Why was Tsukasa picked to be put unconscious and why?

Why was Bear offering to take care of Tsukasa? Where are her parents?

When was it found out Tsu was a girl?

What was that thing in that one place that was like... this guy and he was like... upside down n' junk and talking about love n' crap.... what was up with that?

What was that cat thing?

Was was that flying blob thing with the ring in it that was jacking people up all the time?

Why was the flying blob thing jacking people up all the time?

Who's this little glowy girl?

Who's Helba?

In general.................................. What the Hell??!?!?!!?

If there's a website that can get me in on the know of all this... just point it out to me.

[SSJPabs]

What............... the............... frell......... :confused: Let's take these on at a time shall we? Spoilers abound.



Who's Helba?
A famous hacker who plays in the world. She is instrumental in providing a way for our SIGN heroes to get places regular players can't go. She is aware of the danger Morganna and the Phases represent and is willing to help out Kite. She knows way more than she lets on (about Cubia for example!)

Where were they by the end of this series? I heard so much talk of world jumping that.... I dunno!
Tsukasa woke up and left the hospital where she was. She ran into Tsubaru in the real world. The place where Aura was is pretty much anywhere you want it to be, it's wherever Morganna chose. I suppose you could call it a representation of the OS Kernel.

What's up with this game that.... stuff happened???? What's up with this game?!?!?!
See AI Buster novel, the Games, Liminality OAVs, Zero novel and DUSK manga

Why're characters sometimes upside down?
Some, like Helba, can fly. Others like Macha (the cat, and phase 6!) just have special in-game powers (she is an NPC). Sora is just special or maybe he has a special item that lets it happen. Tsukasa, Bear, Mimiru, Crim, Ginkan, Tsubaru etc. don't appear upside down.

Why was Tsukasa picked to be put unconscious and why?
Morganna responded to Tsukasa's feelings of alienation and loneliness and these were what she wanted to impress upon Aura to make sure that Aura would wake up as Twisted Aura. So she linked Tsukasa's will to Aura. As long as Tsukasa was feeling bad and didn't want to log out, Aura would never awaken.

Why was Bear offering to take care of Tsukasa? Where are her parents?
Tsukasa's father was very abusive towards her and she was also left alone very much. In a flashback in the series, we see Tsukasa's mother has been killed. Because she hated her father, she grew up emotionally stunted and it led to the feelings she held that drew Morganna to link her with Aura. Bear was an author, he (I am not too clear on this point) had also had an unhappy childhood and was wealthy and wanted to give someone a second chance at having a happy childhood. So he responded to Tsukasa as a father figure and eventually offered his guardian ship of her.

When was it found out Tsu was a girl?
Bear and Mimiru suspected when they asked Tsukasa that, and in episodes 23-25 Tsukasa herself began to remember things and realized that she was indeed female. She finally admits it to herself then.

What was that thing in that one place that was like... this guy and he was like... upside down n' junk and talking about love n' crap.... what was up with that?


Harold Hayuerek (I can't spell his last name.) He was the German programmer that created the World (and it's predecessor, Fragment). His wife was the inspiration for Morgana. Aura's personality is that of the daughter he wished he could have had. In Liminality 01: The Case of Mai Minase, the rogue programmer vows to reveal the truth of the world at his grave site. The glowy guy was a virtual model of himself that Hayurek made before he died. Morganna has partially corrupted it and I BELIEVE it was made as a kind of proto-type test of the world's VR capabilities as well as helping out people who are trying to awaken Aura.

What was that cat thing?

Japanese = Maha, English = Macha. Either way she is a cat NPC that was modified by Morganna to be a companion to Tsukasa and they had a close bond when Tsukasa gave Macha the Aromatic Grass. Later on she was data-drained and turned into the character Mia whom you add to your party in the games. THat is why she hangs around with Elk in the games (Elk's PC looks like a slightly palette swapped version of Tsukasa.) In OUTBREAK Macha is transformed into her true from, Phase #6 and you have to kill her/it.

Was was that flying blob thing with the ring in it that was jacking people up all the time?


That was a "guardian." What it was doing was data-draining them which means it was re-writing their data. I SUSPECT it was a type of "Proto-Phase."

Why was the flying blob thing jacking people up all the time?


Well the Gold one was given to Tsukasa to protect her/him so that she would continue to want to stay in the World and not want to log out. The purple one was sent when the heroes were getting to close to freeing Aura.

Who's this little glowy girl?

Morgana (the VOICE) is the AI of the OS that runs the World. Based on Harold Heyuerk's wife, she was flawed in some way. Harold created the glowy girl Aura (not his daughter!) as a patch to fix the OS and Morgana really didn't want that to happen. (Self-preservation instinct.) But Aura is not fully compiled yet and Morgana is trying to influence Aura to keep from patching her properly. Something I forgot to add before is that Aura is the one who is supposed to deal with threats to the World and the players in it. She's a kind of safety routine that way.


In general.................................. What the Hell??!?!?!!?
Try Rhyste's website www.Net-Slum.com (http://www.Net-Slum.com) she got sick of .hack and has decamped for parts unknown but her site is still there and it's got a lot of good info and links.

[Conekiller]

No offence, JonnC, but you could have tried keeping up.

Romey, those pics KICKED! do they come any bigger, like Desktop sized?!
do ya have a pic of RL Subaru formthe end, I'd like to make an avatar from that (I was gonna ask for Tsukasa, but you got that anyway, nice pic BTW)

Tsukasa, as did that link to the cover for vol 5, whih made me squeal like a piggy in heat. (Helba and Balmung on the same cover with a beautiful blue bg, >squeal<

[The Detective]

Aura's awakening... hasn't done anything yet. That's a spoiler-ish topic covered more by the games.
*waves hand* I believe I’ve said I won’t be playing the games, so please, what does Aurora awakening do? Huh, pretty please?


I'm I the only one who saw that Tsukasa and Subaru were still trapped in Morgana's world at then end?
I saw that too, but I think that's a little too "Are you Afraid of the Dark" for this show.
Whoah, whoah, whoah back up. WHAT?!

[SSJPabs]

*waves hand* I believe I’ve said I won’t be playing the games, so please, what does Aurora awakening do? Huh, pretty please?
Check my massive spoiler box, it's up there.Whoah, whoah, whoah back up. WHAT?!
After Tsubaru and Tsukasa stretch out their hands to each other, before they touch the screen freezes and you can a background full of blue hexagons, just like in the scene right before they log out.

It's not anything, it's just a cool little background to help people remember that the story continues. They GOT OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD.

EDIT: Is it Tsubaru or Subaru?

[Monfriez]

It's not anything, it's just a cool little background to help people remember that the story continues. They GOT OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD.

Thank goodness! I'm glad I was wrong.
It's just that the hexagon pattern is just like the one of Morgana's secret field and the sound effect didn't exactly sound like a good thing.

Please, would you provide some spoilers to wipe the lingering uncertainty from my mind? I would make me very happy. :sweat:

[G1Ravage]

Thank goodness! I'm glad I was wrong.
It's just that the hexagon pattern is just like the one of Morgana's secret field and the sound effect didn't exactly sound like a good thing.

Please, would you provide some spoilers to wipe the lingering uncertainty from my mind? I would make me very happy. :sweat:

Did you not watch the ending?

[ClockStomper]

Wow John C, did you see any of the other epsidoes at all? 90% of your questions are answered by the last few. I can't imagine how anyone could have missed the "Tsukassa was abused" thing at all.

[Umino]

I have a question, is there any pciture of Ginkan without the mask?

[JohnCrichton]

Ifell behind by alot of episodes. This show moved so slow, it was hard to keep up.

Sorry for all the questions, but thanks alot for all the answers!

[Cyporiean]

I have a question, is there any pciture of Ginkan without the mask?

No.

Ginkan's mask is apart of the character.. I doubt that CC corp would want to waste Polygons just to give that player model a face underneath.. same with the rest of his clothing, I doubt he would have anything under it because it doesn't look like the real time cloth simulation is needed for his character..

same with Sora's

[PaQ]

Wow. Great way to end a series.. I'm definitely going to continue watching the whole .hack franchise. Very interesting episode. It was cool to see Sora do something sort of good but that sux with the coma part. But if it's true what I read in the spoiler boxes, I can't wait to play the rest of the games. When I watched it on Saturday I didn't even realize it was the last episode, wow how time flies. It was one of the greatest anime's I've seen so far. :D :anime:

[LightAngel]

Oh wow! WOW!! I can't believe its over. Is it so wrong to want some closure though? Poor Sora. When my brother and I both saw that wand thing, we freaked. That whole scene gave me chills. Of all the people to affect me that much at the end of the series, it had to be Sora! I'm glad CN actually showed the whole ending. I can't imagine how much more freaked I would be otherwise. That last scene was so sweet, and we finally got to see their eyes. I'm going to miss this show :sweat: I believe I have more questions now then when I started. Thank goodness my brother has a Playstation 2 and loves this show just as much as I do. Otherwise, I'd be doomed to this cliffhanger ending.

[Nobuyuki sama]

No.

Ginkan's mask is apart of the character.. I doubt that CC corp would want to waste Polygons just to give that player model a face underneath..
Actually, one of the DVD's (I think it's #3, have to check) has a character model sheet with one picture of Ginkan without the mask. He's got black hair.

[The Detective]

Check my massive spoiler box, it's up there.
After Tsubaru and Tsukasa stretch out their hands to each other, before they touch the screen freezes and you can a background full of blue hexagons, just like in the scene right before they log out.

It's not anything, it's just a cool little background to help people remember that the story continues. They GOT OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD.

EDIT: Is it Tsubaru or Subaru?
Thank you, I was VERY worried. :D

[Vekou]

Beautifully animated, quite touching ending but not as much closure as I hoped. Bring on episodes 27 and 28!

[Chimera]

Can someone tell me the ages of all the important players in .hack//SIGN? And maybe a little description about them (in real life)? I really want to know.

[Monfriez]

Did you not watch the ending?

I did see it. It's just that I mistook symbolism for reality.

[Conekiller]

I have a question, is there any pciture of Ginkan without the mask?

yes there is, in the box for the DVD #1 it came with stickers, one of them is Ginkan without his mask. he's a pretty hadsome guy under there. I'll scan it soon.

EDIT: You can find it here http://strike9.com/comments.aspx?fileid=315078&path=/Conekiller/fullsize/.jpg

[Dr Kain]

Ginkan? I don't remember him, who is he?

[Animation Otaku]

Ginkan? I don't remember him, who is he?

The Japanese name of Silver Knight.

[Lord Dalek]

Can someone tell me the ages of all the important players in .hack//SIGN? And maybe a little description about them (in real life)? I really want to know.

This is conjecture on my part, but here goes:

Tsukasa, Mimiru, Subaru: Mid-teens
Bear: Mid-40's
BT, Crim: Late-20's to Early 30's
Silver Knight: 20ish
Sora: about 10
A-20: same as Sora (surprise!)

[The Detective]

Can someone tell me the ages of all the important players in .hack//SIGN? And maybe a little description about them (in real life)? I really want to know.
This is just what I know from watching the show.

Tsukasa: Late teens, abused childhood.
Subaru: Late teens, is in a wheel chair.
Mimiru: Late teens.
Bear: I'd say late forties. Novelist, divorced (I think) at least one kid.
Sora: Fourth grade so guess ten or so.
Silver Knight/Ginkan: Didn't he say he was 23? And he works at a video store.
Krim: I'd say late twenties or older. He goes on business trips.
BT: I don't know if we were ever told much about her besides that she doesn't like lettuce.

Uuhhhh I think that's about it. Don't take my word for anything though.

[MrBananagrabber]

This is just what I know from watching the show.

Tsukasa: Late teens, abused childhood.
Subaru: Late teens, is in a wheel chair.
Mimiru: Late teens.
Bear: I'd say late forties. Novelist, divorced (I think) at least one kid.
Sora: Fourth grade so guess ten or so.
Silver Knight/Ginkan: Didn't he say he was 23? And he works at a video store.
Krim: I'd say late twenties or older. He goes on business trips.
BT: I don't know if we were ever told much about her besides that she doesn't like lettuce.

Uuhhhh I think that's about it. Don't take my word for anything though.


As for BT's age, there was some sort of 10 year high school reunion letter she threw out at the end, right? I missed that ep on CN, so the fansub may have been wrong. But that'd make her about 28/29.

[Botman]

As much as I don't want to add to this deluge of questions you guys are receiving, here it goes...

I've been waiting, but the series never explained what "Data Draining" is.

Do they explain about Data Drains in .hack Part 1- Infection? (which I hope to purchase within the month)

If so, don't bother with a description.

[B-kun]

As much as I don't want to add to this deluge of questions you guys are receiving, here it goes...

I've been waiting, but the series never explained what "Data Draining" is.

Do they explain about Data Drains in .hack Part 1- Infection? (which I hope to purchase within the month)

If so, don't bother with a description.


Yeah, they do. It's one of Kite's hacker moves, actually. And an upgrade of sorts is in MUTATION. And I'll be nice and not describe. =B *sneaks back to bed*

[raykremer]

Liminality does explain quite a bit about Harold, Aura, and Morganna. Now I just have to play those games. Being a Nintendo man, I'm gonna wait until PS2s are dirt cheap before I get one, so it'll be a while.

And in the "Why?" category, the .hack collectible card game (http://dothackenemy.com/)!

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

EDIT: You can find it here http://strike9.com/comments.aspx?fileid=315078&path=/Conekiller/fullsize/.jpg

::clicky:: Hey, he looks like someone outta a Miyazaki film.

[SSJPabs]

Liminality does explain quite a bit about Harold, Aura, and Morganna. Now I just have to play those games. Being a Nintendo man, I'm gonna wait until PS2s are dirt cheap before I get one, so it'll be a while.

And in the "Why?" category, the .hack collectible card game (http://dothackenemy.com/)!

Hey that's okay, I wanted to get the most out of my money so I bought a PS2. I just recently came into possession of a gamecube.

Why the why? Is it really so hard? Bandai likes to milk it's properties for all they can. Gundam anybody?

[Umino]

Man! I can't see the Ginkan picture! :(

[MrBananagrabber]

And in the "Why?" category, the .hack collectible card game (http://dothackenemy.com/)!

I saw a demo of the game at Anime Expo. It just doesn't look like it's any fun. It sucks that the art on the cards is just composed of screen caps and boring pictures of disembodied weapons. They could have at least gotten some new art. And the flavor text..."It has 4 ways to kill you". I have to admit, "He says you guys are all wussies" is pretty good =P

Interestingly enough, that Skieth card has a picture of him holding the cross, not the weird Q thingy he has in the American game and anime.

Another attempt for an anime to cash in on the success of Pokemon and Yugioh's CCGs...

[Conekiller]

Man! I can't see the Ginkan picture! :(
hmmm, the whole server seems to be down. when I get home,I'll make it my Avatar, so EVERYONE cna see it.

I'd still like a screen cap of RL Subaru in color. if anyone has one.

[Romanesque]

Guess my fun's over, now...

My only net connection for the next two weeks is a good 20 minute walk from my room, so the following may be it for my part in this thread. Sorry, folks... =/

No.

Ginkan's mask is apart of the character.. I doubt that CC corp would want to waste Polygons just to give that player model a face underneath.. same with the rest of his clothing, I doubt he would have anything under it because it doesn't look like the real time cloth simulation is needed for his character..

same with Sora's

Given that "The World" doesn't exactly work like a normal game, I'm inclined to believe that traditional game design techniques don't apply. No doubt, Ginkan and everyone else are modelled down to details I don't even want to ponder...

--Romey

[Kosh]

The finale was excellent and .hack//SIGN did nothing but entertain me for the six months it was on the air. Plan on rewatching the movies from INFECTION and MUTATION now that I have a greater understanding of The World.

Thanks to all the .hack vets here for keeping the lid on most spoilers and generally making the viewing experience fun for us first-time .hackers. It was appreciated. :D

As an aside-- another .hack question for you all-- hopefully someone can answer.

I just picked up the 4th volume of .hack//SIGN today, slipped the disc in and, while I was bracing myself to watch the recap episode, I was surprised to find that it went straight to what I thought was episode #16, "Depth". It's listed as episode #15, though-- and the following episodes are the three after "Depth" (taking us through Subaru's disbandment of the Knights and the episode with the flashback to their creation). So-- what happened to the recap episode? Why isn't it on the DVD? Doesn't this bump the overall episode count of .hack to 25, making "episodes #27 and #28" actually "#26 and #27" (meaning volume six will only have five episodes instead of six)? At first I thought there might have been a mistake, but I popped disc #3 in and the next episode preview at the very end of it listed "Depth" as the next ep. What's the deal? Anyone know? Did they do this in Japan, too?

[Conekiller]

That's an interesting bit there.

What did Vol 4 come with, I havn't been able to get a solid answer on that yet (like the previous releases had CD soundtracks)

[Lord Dalek]

That's an interesting bit there.

What did Vol 4 come with, I havn't been able to get a solid answer on that yet (like the previous releases had CD soundtracks)

.hack//EXTRA (a serious incentive to buy Vol. 4 IMHO), I think I heard ether Vol. 5 or 6 is coming with the game OST.

[Conekiller]

ok Check the Avatar

[MrBananagrabber]

I just picked up the 4th volume of .hack//SIGN today, slipped the disc in and, while I was bracing myself to watch the recap episode, I was surprised to find that it went straight to what I thought was episode #16, "Depth". It's listed as episode #15, though-- and the following episodes are the three after "Depth" (taking us through Subaru's disbandment of the Knights and the episode with the flashback to their creation). So-- what happened to the recap episode? Why isn't it on the DVD? Doesn't this bump the overall episode count of .hack to 25, making "episodes #27 and #28" actually "#26 and #27" (meaning volume six will only have five episodes instead of six)? At first I thought there might have been a mistake, but I popped disc #3 in and the next episode preview at the very end of it listed "Depth" as the next ep. What's the deal? Anyone know? Did they do this in Japan, too?

You're right! I never even noticed that....I don't see why they would take out a whole episode, even if it was a terribly redundant recap. I have no idea if it was done with the Japanese release, but this is the sort of thing we should e-mail Bandai about

[Sketch]

It took me a while to get around to watching the episode and it took me a really long time to finish reading this thread.

Great episode, somewhat great conclusion (but of course it's not the end). I really want to read AI Buster and .hack//ZERO now.

Poor Sora... I feel really bad for him.

RL Tsukasa and Subaru are kawaii. At last I know what they look like. I already had the ending spoiled for me, but it was still neat to see.

[MrBananagrabber]

I asked at the Anime on DVD forum about the missing episode, and here's what I found out:

"Evidence" is going to be released on the final DVD as a recap episode and not treated as an actual episode of the series. That's the same way it was done with the Japanese release.

Even so, I think it's a rather stupid move.It would have fit fine on volume 4, since the contents of Evidence were all taken from the first 3 DVDs. I don't see why you'd want to watch a recap of the first half of the show at the end of it.

[TsuiTsui]

I asked at the Anime on DVD forum about the missing episode, and here's what I found out:

"Evidence" is going to be released on the final DVD as a recap episode and not treated as an actual episode of the series. That's the same way it was done with the Japanese release.

Even so, I think it's a rather stupid move.It would have fit fine on volume 4, since the contents of Evidence were all taken from the first 3 DVDs. I don't see why you'd want to watch a recap of the first half of the show at the end of it.

I have wondered about that skipped recap episode and whether if it would be in a future DVD release at all. I agree that skipping that episode did not make alot of sense to me. Anyways, thanks for the information! :)

[Conekiller]

"it was later discovered that Subaru and Tsukasa were 'just cousins' " :p

Sorry, had to do that.

Regarding vol 4: this has been released properly, right? Every Best Buy in my are seems to have cancelled their shipment of it. only a few days ago the computer siad the store I work at was expecting 9 (all the others in the district were expecting varying ammounts) but as of today, everyone was registering 0's all the way thru. 0 recieved, 0 shipping, 0 on order. GRRR. what's goin on here!?

I'm gonna hafta ask my Gamestop buddy to hook me up again, i just hope his employee discount is as good as mine.

[Kosh]

Ryoga
"Evidence" is going to be released on the final DVD as a recap episode and not treated as an actual episode of the series. That's the same way it was done with the Japanese release.

Well, that's kind of... ridiculous. While I'm happy we'll eventually get it, it just doesn't make any sense. So, they go from the last episode to an episode recapping the first fourteen? Kind of ruins the effect of the climax. Or do they stick it before? Messes up the flow even more than had it been placed correctly. Treated as an extra, then? Still odd. Oh, well, doesn't make sense. But, thanks for the info.

On the plus side, I suppose the story is tighter without it.

Conekiller
Regarding vol 4: this has been released properly, right?

It was on time for me, early Tuesday morning (Suncoast, though, not Best Buy). The shelf for the public was empty (there was a sticker advertising the new release price for it, though, so I assume they just sold out). They had about eight copies behind the counter to fill reservations. It's odd, because vol. 3 has been on their shelves ever since it was released-- no sell out. But, vol. 4 is gonegonegone.

Anyway, good luck snagging your copy!

[raykremer]

Ah well, at least with DVDs it's easy to watch them in the real order.

[Beefy]

*Looks at .hack//INFECTION sitting on my DVD shelf.*
If I only had a PS2 to play that on. Waitng for PSX next year.
Oh well, I could always rent a PS2 from Blockbuster or steal one from one of my friends.

.hack//SIGN has the honor of being only one of two anime that made me cry at the end.

I got my LE DVD vol. 4 from Media Play on Tuesday. Media Play always has about 20 or so on the release date.
I agree that removing the episode "Evidence" from it's sequence from the TV run is messed up. Oh well, what can you do?

Now that .hack//SIGN is over my Saturday nights will have a void in them. Maybe I'll just have to get into Knights of the Zodiac. Who am I kidding; it's just not the same. :(

[SSJPabs]

So are they going to show it again? That's going to take forever!

[DemonKrowno]

You know,it's kind of a good thing .hack//sign's over.....now I can actually get some sleep on saturday night. And with FoxBox just now being played on me UPN on sundays,I do need the sleep even more.

[B-kun]

I just realised.. Until they air eps 27 and 28, if they ever do, this'll be the last talkback thread.. ;_;

Well, on another note..

I don't see why everyone's complaining about Evidence being held back. I mean, if anything, it's good.


Look at it this way - The entire episode is nothing but clips from past episodes, leaving no new footage whatsoever. So really, if they had put it in the right place, you would technically only get 3 new episodes on the fourth disc. So moving the clipshow to the last DVD makes sense and is a lot more convenient. @_@ Especially considering how much these DVDs cost..

But that's probably just me.

[JTurner954]

I think it would be fun to go back and read the talkbacks for each episode to see how we reacted when the episodes originally aired. Plus, we can read the spoiler boxes this time around.

BTW, I picked up a free book called "Tokyopop Sneaks Fall 2003" and it included a sample of .hack//legend of the twilight. It involves two new players who learn about how to interact in "The World". It even has RPG captions for stats such as levels, enemy names, and when items are used in battles. It's pretty cool so check it out if you can.

[Duke]

Look at it this way - The entire episode is nothing but clips from past episodes, leaving no new footage whatsoever. So really, if they had put it in the right place, you would technically only get 3 new episodes on the fourth disc. So moving the clipshow to the last DVD makes sense and is a lot more convenient. @_@ Especially considering how much these DVDs cost..

But that's probably just me.

Actually, it does have some new footage. Not much, but it does have some.

[Sinsio]

episode 27 spoiler:


Episode 27 does not continue where episode 26 left off, as far as the plot is concerned. It is a side story that occurs after the events of the previous episode. We are introduced to a different group of players and their "graduation". Furthermore, there is the satisfying origin/conclusion of Mimiru, with Bear tagging along, of course. It is safe to say that they and everyone else in the party were not permanently effected by the field being discarded

[Dr Kain]

I can care less about Evidence since it is a worthless clip show. I think all clip shows should not be on the dvds unless they are extras because they are a waste of money. If you are going to put a clip show on a disc, meaning Vol4 would be 3 eps instead of 4, companies should lower the price. Gundam Wing Vol 6 for instance, I paid for 5 eps, but only got 3 because of the dumb clip shows, that I never watch more than once, and usually it is on tv when I watch them.

I hate clip shows, find them pointless because even if there is new animation in them, the next "real" ep takes right where the ep before them left off.

[Tsukasa]

*inhale* bah im confused! And i havent posted in..........uhm anyways Im sorta sugarhigh on soda and I also picked up the Legend of the Twilight manga & its so funny dude! Shugo a bit of a perv and there SLIGHT hints of incest (ewi!) but other than that its really hilarious btw, does anyone know the release date for dvd 5? and is it true with this thing in game #4 where theres a south park style ep of the show or somethng whats that about anyways huh?! feh. *exhale* soooodaaaaa... :p and by the way, in all seriousness, .hack is still on saturdays at 12, for reals! i think...

[Sinsio]

Shugo a bit of a perv and there SLIGHT hints of incest (ewi!)

Why does everyone say that? She is using an avatar. As we can tell by his initial reaction upon meeting her, the avatar looks nothing like his real sister.

Then again, those crazy japanese do have a history of inner family relations. <is reminded of Tenchi Muyo and other series> :)

[Conekiller]

Why does everyone say that? She is using an avatar. As we can tell by his initial reaction upon meeting her, the avatar looks nothing like his real sister.


It's not just that, therer are things he says (and thinks) that seem a little too......friendly for a bro/sis relationship. Some funny buisness comes form Rena's side too

[wrenchien]

So.. are any of the other sagas in the hack saga game only , or do they have ova's / episodes of their own ?

[B-kun]

So.. are any of the other sagas in the hack saga game only , or do they have ova's / episodes of their own ?



Um.. *Sweatdrop* I'm not sure I completely understand, so this is a wild guess. ^^;

If you mean if the games are animated, nope. They're only available in game format. But there is an OVA series that comes with the games, LIMINALITY, that basically takes place at the same time as the games, only in the real world. For example, while The World is collapsing in MUTATION, they're feeling the effects in Okinawa.

Once again, not sure if that's what you meant. *sweatdrop*