 Another break from Tsukasa's predicament as the latest volume of .hack//SIGN takes a closer look the the problems faced by BT & Subaru...
17 - Conflict
Tsukasa seems to be missing parts of his memories - there are things
he's spoken to Mimiru about that he no longer remembers. Worried,
Mimiru takes her concerns to BT, but she's not exactly the most
sympathetic of shoulders to cry on - she's got her own issues at the
moment and couldn't care less about Tsukasa's. Sadly for her it's about
the only thing people want to talk to her about at the moment, and
during a conversation with Subaru she finally snaps. When a couple of
alleged newbies try to take her on, it seems like just the opportunity
she needs to get rid of some frustration - until Tsukasa shows up...
18 - Declaration
Subaru has discovered that the Crimson Knights have been withholding
information & not passing on messages that have been left for her,
leading to something of a crisis of confidence in the Knights - they
seem to be developing delusions of grandeur and are looking to take on
system admin roles despite Subaru's frequent reminders that they are
just players. She turns to Crim for advice about how to handle the
situation. Meanwhile, Tsukasa's mysterious benefactor seems to think
that Tsukasa's been having a bit too much freedom of late, and needs
reigned in again...
19 - Recollection
Subaru's having to adjust to life after the Crimson Knights. Her main
problem is that all that administering has left her a lowly level 1
character - without her status to protect her she's now got to learn to
fight like any other character. The episode flicks between Subaru's
early days in The World (her first meeting with Crim & the
formation of the Crimson Knights) and her current attempts to cope with
life without the protection of the Knights.
This is my second viewing of .hack//SIGN and I have to admit I really didn't realise how slowly the story progresses the first time around. I do now... ^^;
At any rate, Tsukasa's pushed into the background here, with only a
few cameo appearances and 1 ominous visit to his hiding place to remind
us who the show is really supposed to be about. Meanwhile, we get 1
episode dealing with BT's relationships with those in the game & 2
more dealing the Subaru's past, present, and disintegrating
relationship with the Crimson Knights. Guess what goes along with all
this examination of relationships? Yup - characters standing around
talking and not doing very much. That suits me fine - it's part of the
charm of .hack - but a lot of people don't, so although I'm probably preaching to the converted by now, be advised.
The BT episode kind of washed over me - I don't have any real
sympathy for the character & her somewhat back-stabbing ways, so
her problems didn't hugely interest me. Subaru, however, is a different
matter, and events with the Silver Knight & the rest of the Crimson
Knights have been rumbling on for a while now, so it was good to see
them come to a head. Also good to see Subaru wasn't afraid to sacrifice
her own position for what she saw as essential principles, and the
glimpses into the past & her first few days in the world were good
viewing.
Overall, then, pretty much more of what I've come to expect from .hack//SIGN. Works for me, may not work for everyone, but IMO still a worthwhile show to watch. |
