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

User Rating:

7.3/10   

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 | Escapism | .hack | Subtitled | Internet

Cast

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

(more)

Series Directed by
Kôichi Mashimo		(27 episodes, 2002)

Series Writing credits
Kazunori Itô		(27 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo		(27 episodes, 2002)
Kirin Mori		(27 episodes, 2002)
Akemi Omode		(27 episodes, 2002)
Michiko Yokote		(27 episodes, 2002)
Mitsuhiko Sawamura		(26 episodes, 2002)
Hiroaki Jinno		(16 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		(26 episodes, 2002)

Series Cinematography by
Katsuaki Kamata		(26 episodes, 2002)

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

Series Art Direction by
Katsuaki Kamata		(26 episodes, 2002)
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
Yuuki Arie	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Yukiko Ban	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Shinya Kawazura	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Makiko Kojima	....	color designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Mamoru Morioka	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Satoshi Ohsawa	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Shunsuke Ohta	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Tatsuya Oka	....	mechanical (26 episodes, 2002)
Akira Osawa	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Koji Sawai	....	storyboard artist (26 episodes, 2002)
Minako Shiba	....	character designer (26 episodes, 2002)
Kenji Teraoka	....	mechanical (26 episodes, 2002)

Series Sound Department
Keith Arem	....	sound: English adaptation / supervising sound editor (26 episodes, 2002)
Mike Draghi	....	sound re-recording mixer (26 episodes, 2002)
Kôichi Mashimo	....	sound / sound director (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
Emily Bindiger	....	vocals (26 episodes, 2002)
Norimitsu Iijima	....	music coordinator (26 episodes, 2002)
Kazunori Itô	....	soundtrack supervisor (26 episodes, 2002)
Yuki Kajiura	....	musician: keyboards, programming (26 episodes, 2002)
Hitoshi Konno	....	musician: violin (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

• Bandai Entertainment  English voice producer
• Cutting Room Recording Studios  music recording: New York
• Cyber Connect 2  soundtrack collaboration
• PCB Productions  English voice recording
• Sound Dali Studio  music recording
• Sound Valley  music recording
• Space Craft Produce  soundtrack production
• Victor Entertainment  soundtrack production

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:

As a special bonus for the fourth and final volume of the game series, Bee Train and CyberConnect2 (the companies who produced .hack//SIGN) created a bonus 29th episode entitled .hack//GIFT. In addition to a redesigned opening and a plot which features the characters from //SIGN and the games looking for a secret area called the Tasogare Onsen (Twilight Hot Springs), the episode contains radically different and cartoony designs for the characters that exaggerate their physical features.

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:

Morganna: I need you as much as you need me. As long as we walk together, I will protect you.

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.