|
 It's the return of the grumpiest lead in an anime series this year.
Yes, Tsukasa, I mean you. Just as well the rest of the cast in .hack//SIGN are more likeable...
So after volume 1's introduction to The World and Tsukasa's predicament, where does volume 2 take us?
Simple answer, not very far - this disc has that 'filler' feel about
it, as while Tsukasa's situation is touched upon - Bear & BT
inparticular are 'investigating' matters - the 5 episodes here revolve
more around the periphery of the story.
Encounter
First real meeting between Tsukasa & Subaru, who seems to be taking
an unusual interest in him. Tsukasa's still under the control of the
Scarlet Knights, but with a little help from Sora, of all people,
Tsukasa's soon a free PC again. Mimiru's efforts to talk to him come to
nothing, however, and he's soon back in his hiding place again.
Reason
Mimiru's still a bit miffed at Tsukasa's attitude towards her - to the
point where she's about to give up on her desire to help him. It's at
this point that she meets A-20, a new player eager to try one of the
more advanced quests in The World, and who needs a lot of help to get
the job done. Cue Mimiru, who initially isn't interested but is dragged
in by a few well-placed insults...
Promise
After her adventure with A-20, Mimiru has a renewed determination to
help Tsukasa, and messages him to meet her. He takes his time in
deciding whether to come or not, leaving Mimiru as the subject of some
speculation on The World's BBS while she maintains her vigil. BT,
meanwhile, has discussions with Subaru and Krim about searching for the
"Key of the Twilight", an item which may have something to do with
Tuskasa's inability to log out.
Epitaph
Investigations into the Key of the Twilight continue. Tsukasa,
meanwhile, has agreed to look after another player's Grunty while she's
away for a few days - no sooner has she left than the grunty comes down
with a potentially fatal illness.
Compensation
Some more details on real-word Bear here, as the episode opens with him
meeting with his son. The episode focuses mainly on Bear as he tries to
come to grips with his own attitude towards Tsukasa and whether he can
really be of use to him.
So overall, there's a lot of conversation & character
development spread over the 5 episodes here, with the main plot shifted
almost to the background. The Key of the Twilight provides a hook to
the main story so we don't forget what's going on, but Tsukasa takes
much less of a role than he did in the first batch of episodes.
To me, that's no bad thing - he's one of the most annoying
characters of recent time & I'm still at a loss as to why Bear
& Mimiru are so determined to get close to him. Go figure. Still,
they're the characters that make the show enjoyable.
Perhaps the most important aspect of .hack to bear in mind is
that there's a lot of talking going on. If you're looking for
wall-to-wall action, this is not the show for you, as you need to pay
attention to what's going on & what's being said to be able to
properly follow the story. If that doesn't bother you, there's a good
show to be enjoyed here. Even though these episodes are mostly filler,
it's worth watching for the interactions between the characters &
the glimpses you get at their motivations. For my money, it's well
worth watching. |
