.hack (2002)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Kazuhiro Nakata
Bear
Akiko Hiramatsu
BT
Junko Minagawa
Shugo
Mai Nakahara
Rena
Kim Mai Guest
Subaru
Yuki Matsuoka
Mireille
Yuki Kaida
Ouka
Kouichi Mashimo
Original Story / Director / Storyboard Artist / Sound Director
Brianne Brozey
Tsukasa
Kazunori Ito
Original Story / Series Composition / Original Story
Ayako Kawasumi
Hotaru
Yasunori Masutani
Sanjuro
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Original Story / Character Designer
Yuki Kajiura
Original Music Composer / Theme Song Performance / Original Music Composer
Soichiro Hoshi
Reki
Masami Kikuchi
Komiyan III
Sakiko Tamagawa
Kamui
Masako Katsuki
Mimika
Takahiro Sakurai
Haseo
Megumi Toyoguchi
Tabby / Mimiru / Tabby
Junpei Takiguchi
Phyllo
Sanae Kobayashi
Pi
Kaori Nazuka
Shino / Subaru / Shino
Hiroki Touchi
Ovan
Ryotaro Okiayu
Sakisaka
Yoshimi Umino
Art Direction
Yuuki Arie
Storyboard Artist / Director
Hiroshi Morioka
Storyboard Artist / Director
Shinya Kawatsura
Storyboard Artist / Director
Kouji Sawai
Storyboard Artist / Series Director / Director
Shunsuke Tada
Storyboard Artist
Katsuaki Kamata
Director of Photography
Masahiro Murakami
Special Effects
Yukie Oikawa
Editor
Chieko Takayama
Editor
Seiji Morita
Editor
Kouji Morimoto
Producer
Kazunori Takagi
Producer
Daisuke Uchiyama
Supervising Producer
Ryouji Maru
Producer
Kuninori Egawa
Producer
Chiaki Ishikawa
Theme Song Performance
Toru Nakano
Sound Director
Satoshi Oosawa
Character Designer / Animation Director
Yuko Iwaoka
Character Designer / Key Animation / Animation Director
Yukiko Ban
Key Animation / Character Designer / Animation Director
Tatsuya Oka
Mechanical Designer / Key Animation / Animation Director
Makiko Kojima
Color Designer
Minako Shiba
Character Designer
Kenji Teraoka
Mechanical Designer
Akio Shimotsukasa
Key Animation
Sadatoshi Matsuzaka
Key Animation
Tomoaki Kado
Animation Director
Takato Nakajima
Key Animation
Kenichi Umemoto
Key Animation
Yuichi Akimoto
Key Animation
Kenji Yokoyama
Key Animation
Shinya Kokaji
Key Animation
Kunihiko Kimura
Key Animation
Kazuyuki Ikai
Key Animation
Kaname Watabe
Key Animation
Keita Hagio
Key Animation
Hiroyuki Ookaji
Key Animation
Tomoyuki Ohshita
Key Animation
Masaru Yoshioka
Key Animation
Mika Shirota
Key Animation
Yukiko Akiyama
Key Animation
Akihiko Mamashita
Key Animation
Shinichi Iimura
Key Animation
Takashi Iwao
Key Animation
Tomoyo Hosokawa
Key Animation
Keiko Hayashi
Key Animation
Atsuko Takahashi
Key Animation
Satomi Kitahara
Key Animation
Tsutomu Kikuchi
Key Animation
Keiichi Ishida
Key Animation
Toshinori Watanabe
Key Animation
Takao Ozone
Key Animation
Kyoko Kotani
Key Animation
Yuki Chika
Key Animation
Tomoaki Chishima
Key Animation
Satoko Miyachi
Key Animation
Taeko Oda
Key Animation
Yuji Shigekuni
Key Animation
Ryuji Tsuzuku
Key Animation
Miho Azuma
Key Animation
Akinori Fudesaka
Key Animation
Yuichiro Miyake
Key Animation
Motoki Yagi
Key Animation
Shinmei Saito
Key Animation
Osamu Kurosawa
Key Animation
Koji Haneda
Key Animation
Yoshitsugu Hatano
Key Animation
Daisuke Kusakari
Key Animation
Kaori Nakamura
Key Animation
Takaaki Chiba
Key Animation
Kazuhiko Ishii
Key Animation
Kazuko Matsumura
Key Animation
Saori Kasai
Key Animation
Mariko Aikawa
Key Animation
Mamoru Hoshino
Key Animation
Tomoaki Ohta
Key Animation
Akemi Omode
Writer
Michiko Yokote
Writer
Nobuyuki Hiyama
Balmung / Balmung of the Azure Sky (voice)
Maaya Sakamoto
Aura / Morti / Aura (voice)
Takumi Yamazaki
Yata / AI Harald / Yata / Harald Hoerwick (voice)
Mitsuki Saiga
Tsukasa / An Shouji (voice)
Hiroshi Yanaka
Sora / Sora (voice)
Shin-ichiro Miki
Crim / Crim (voice)
Atsuko Enomoto
A-20 / A-20 (voice)
Sara Nakayama
Kaochin / Kao (voice)
Rie Tanaka
Morganna / Morganna (voice)
Isshin Chiba
Silver Knight / White Knight (voice) / Silver Knight (voice)
Mitsuyo Kondo
Grunty (voice)
Chiemi Chiba
Female Warrior (voice)
Nozomu Sasaki
Bear's Son (voice)
Kouichi Sakaguchi
Salue (voice) / Warrior (voice) / Swordsman (voice)
Kan Tanaka
Magic User (voice)
Yumi Touma
Helba (voice)
Media.
Details.
Release DateApril 4, 2002
StatusEnded
Seasons3
Episodes64
Running Time25m
Content RatingTV-14
Genres
Wiki.
.hack//Sign (stylized as .hack//SIGN) is a Japanese anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo, and produced by studio Bee Train and Bandai Visual, that makes up one of the four original storylines for the .hack franchise. Twenty-six original episodes aired in 2002 on television and three additional bonus ones were released on DVD as original video animation. The series features each characters designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and written by Kazunori Itō. The score was composed by Yuki Kajiura, marking her second collaboration with Mashimo.The series is influenced by psychological and sociological subjects, such as anxiety, escapism and interpersonal relationships. The series focuses on a Wavemaster (magic user) named Tsukasa, a player character in a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game called The World. He wakes up to find himself in a dungeon in The World, but he suffers from short-term memory loss as he wonders where he is and how he got there. The situation gets worse when he discovers he is trapped in the game and cannot log out. From then on, along with other players, Tsukasa embarks on a quest to find the truth behind his abnormal situation.
The series premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo from April 4 to September 25, 2002. It was broadcast across East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Latin America, by the anime television network, Animax, and across the United States, Nigeria, Canada and United Kingdom, by Cartoon Network, YTV and AnimeCentral (English and Japanese) respectively. It was distributed across North America by Bandai.
The storyline moves at a leisurely pace, and has multiple layers — the viewer is often fed false information and red herrings, potentially leading to confusion until the true nature of events is unveiled towards the end of the series. It relies on character development and has few action scenes; most of the time character interaction is presented in the form of dialogue. English language reception to the series has been generally positive, but some of these sources have negatively criticised the series as a result of its slow pacing and character-driven storyline.