".hack//SIGN" (2002) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The only thing he can't do....Is log out

Plot:

A strange boy named Tsukasa appears in the online video game "The World". He claims to be alive, and without a computer.

Plot Keywords:

Multiplayer | Child In Coma | Cyberculture | RPG | Internet

Cast

Mitsuki Saiga	...	Tsukasa (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Megumi Toyoguchi	...	Mimiru (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kazuhiro Nakata	...	Bear (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Akiko Hiramatsu	...	BT (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Kaori Nazuka	...	Subaru (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Isshin Chiba	...	Silver Knight (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Brianne Siddall	...	Tsukasa (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Amanda Winn Lee	...	Mimiru (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Paul Mercier	...	Bear (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Douglas Rye	...	Silver Knight (3 episodes, 2002-2003)
Rie Tanaka	...	Morganna (2 episodes, 2002)
Hiroshi Yanaka	...	Sora (2 episodes, 2002)
Mitsuyo Kondo	...	Grunty (2 episodes, 2002)
Kim Mai Guest	...	Subaru (2 episodes, 2002)
Valerie Arem	...	Morganna (2 episodes, 2002)
Donna Rawlins	...	BT (2 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Directed by
Kôichi Mashimo		(28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Hiroshi Morioka		(8 episodes, 2002)
Yuuki Arie		(7 episodes, 2002)
Shinya Kawazura		(7 episodes, 2002)
Koji Sawai		(5 episodes, 2002)

Series Writing credits
Kazunori Itô		(27 episodes, 2002-2003)
Michiko Yokote		(16 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo		(14 episodes, 2002)
Akemi Omode		(14 episodes, 2002)
Hiroaki Jinno		(12 episodes, 2002)
Mitsuhiko Sawamura		(12 episodes, 2002)

Series Produced by
Kuninori Egawa	....	producer (27 episodes, 2002)
Kôji Morimoto	....	producer (27 episodes, 2002)
Kazunori Takagi	....	producer (27 episodes, 2002)
Ken Iyadomi	....	executive producer (26 episodes, 2002)
Daisuke Uchiyama	....	producer (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Original Music by
Yuki Kajiura		(28 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Cinematography by
Katsuaki Kamata		(26 episodes, 2002)

Series Film Editing by
Seiji Morita		(26 episodes, 2002)

Series Art Direction by
Yoshimi Umino		(26 episodes, 2002)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yuuki Arie	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)
Masaya Kawamo	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)
Hiroshi Morioka	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)
Koji Sawai	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)
Shigeki Takagi	....	unit director (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Art Department
Kôichi Mashimo	....	storyboard artist (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Yukiko Ban	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Makiko Kojima	....	color designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Satoshi Ohsawa	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Tatsuya Oka	....	mechanical (26 episodes, 2002)
Akira Osawa	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Minako Shiba	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Kenji Teraoka	....	mechanical (26 episodes, 2002)
Shinya Kawazura	....	storyboard artist (25 episodes, 2002)
Mamoru Morioka	....	storyboard artist (25 episodes, 2002)
Shunsuke Ohta	....	storyboard artist (25 episodes, 2002)
Koji Sawai	....	storyboard artist (25 episodes, 2002)
Hiroshi Morioka	....	storyboard artist (8 episodes, 2002)
Yuuki Arie	....	storyboard artist (7 episodes, 2002)
Shunsuke Tada	....	storyboard artist (5 episodes, 2002)

Series Sound Department
Kôichi Mashimo	....	sound director / sound (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Keith Arem	....	sound: English adaptation / supervising sound editor (26 episodes, 2002)
Mike Draghi	....	sound re-recording mixer (26 episodes, 2002)
Stuart Provine	....	sound editor: PCB Productions (26 episodes, 2002)
Stephen Robinson	....	sound: English adaptation (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Special Effects by
Masahiro Murakami	....	special effects (28 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Visual Effects by
Kenji Teraoka	....	mechanical designer (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Animation Department
Yukiko Ban	....	animation director (26 episodes, 2002)
Yuko Iwaoka	....	animation director (26 episodes, 2002)
Ayumi Kamo	....	cg animator (26 episodes, 2002)
Masayuki Kurosawa	....	cg animator (26 episodes, 2002)
Hitomi Miyatake	....	cg animator (26 episodes, 2002)
Satoshi Ohsawa	....	animation director (26 episodes, 2002)
Tatsuya Oka	....	animation director (26 episodes, 2002)
Yoshiaki Tsubata	....	animation director (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Music Department
Tomohito Aoki	....	musician: bass (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Masayoshi Furukawa	....	musician: acoustic guitar / musician: mandolin (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Masaharu Ishikawa	....	musician: drums (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Yuki Kajiura	....	additional vocals / musician: piano / ... (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Hitoshi Konno	....	musician: violin (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Hijiri Kuwano	....	musician: violin (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Masato Matsuda	....	musician: piano (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Susumu Nishikawa	....	musician: Irish bouzounki / musician: acoustic guitar / ... (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Tomoharu Takahashi	....	musician: bass (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Haruko Yano	....	musician: viola (28 episodes, 2002-2003)
Emily Bindiger	....	vocals (26 episodes, 2002)
Norimitsu Iijima	....	music coordinator (26 episodes, 2002)
Kazunori Itô	....	soundtrack supervisor (26 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo	....	soundtrack supervisor (26 episodes, 2002)
Keiichi Nozaki	....	music producer (26 episodes, 2002)
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto	....	soundtrack supervisor (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Other crew
Fukashi Azuma	....	program chief (26 episodes, 2002)
Shinichiro Inoue	....	planning cooperation (26 episodes, 2002)
Kazunori Itô	....	series supervisor (26 episodes, 2002)
Kazumi Kawashiro	....	planning (26 episodes, 2002)
Shin Unozawa	....	planning (26 episodes, 2002)

Production Companies

• Bandai Entertainment
• Bandai Visual Company
• Bee Train
• Cyber Connect 2
• Production I.G.
• Project .hack
• Yomiko Advertising

Distributors

• Atari Ibérica S.A. (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Bandai Entertainment (2003) (USA)
• Bandai Visual Company (2002) (Japan)
• Cartoon Network (2003) (USA) (TV)
• YTV (2003) (Canada) (TV)

Other Companies

• APPP  in-between animation
• Bandai Entertainment  English voice producer
• Bee Train Digital  animation finishing (as BeeTrain Digital)
• Bee Train  in-between animation
• Blue Sun Film Company  soundtrack product coordinator: New York
• Cutting Room Recording Studios  music recording: New York
• Cyber Connect 2  soundtrack collaboration
• DAST Corporation  in-between animation
• Half H-P Studio  sound post-production
• Half H-P Studio  sound recording
• M.S.C.  animation finishing
• M.S.C.  in-between animation
• M.S.J Musashino Production  animation finishing
• M.S.J Musashino Production  in-between animation
• MSJ  in-between animation
• PCB Productions  English voice recording
• Production AI  background art
• Production I.G.  in-between animation
• Radix  in-between animation
• Sound Dali Studio  music recording
• Sound Valley  music recording
• Space Craft Produce  soundtrack production
• Sterling Sound  music mastering: New York
• Studio MAT  in-between animation
• Studio Twinkle  photography
• Venet  in-between animation
• Victor Entertainment  soundtrack production
• Xebec  in-between animation

Runtime:

USA:25 min (25 episodes and 3 bonus episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color | Black and White

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | UK:PG (some episodes) | UK:U (some episodes) | USA:TV-Y7 | Australia:PG

Company:

Bandai Entertainment

Trivia:

According to director Kôichi Mashimo the opening theme "Obsession" had to be written in English because in Japanese the lyrics would have been profane.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the episode "Party" Tsukasa initially miscalculates the product of 331 and 3 in answering the second riddle. This is only in the English dub.

Quotes:

Silver Knight: It is not easy, to act in the name of justice.

Movie Connections:

Spin off .hack//GIFT (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Obsession

One of the best

One of the best animes I have ever had the gift of watching. Character design is superb,great musical score, and the voice acting is up in line with Cowboy Bebop, Alexander(Reign the Conquerer), etc. The games are great. Hopefully it will become a long running series like the Mobile Suit Gundam series.

Willam, the copies of the game you found were probably the American versions released legally.