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Ahh… 4 more episodes of .hack.

Now that the Crimson Knights have been disbanded and reformed (under the Silver Knight) without Lady Subaru’s assent, the politics of the World are becoming more complicated by the second. Tsukasa’s rebirth and the discussion about what he really is begins to alienate his friends as they don’t know how to deal with him.

Episode 19: Tempest

This review is not necessarily in order of actual action… Another episode filled with plot movement and character interaction. Tsukasa and Subaru are getting closer, with Subaru spending the bulk of her time on-line with Tsukasa. Sora continues his back-room dealing by getting BT to create an alliance with the Silver Knight; more disturbing is how Sora has already decided to sacrifice him and his forces at the first need.

He continues to use BT to keep him appraised of Bear’s movements and allow him to try to beat the team to the Key. Bear finally decides to reassemble the team of players and try once again to make sense of their known information as well as make a new play for the Key of Twilight. The team as assembled is Bear, BT, Subaru, Crim, Mimiru and maybe Tsukasa. On an aside, Tsukasa brings Subaru to see the sleeping girl but the girl isn’t there. After Subaru leaves Tsukasa, he is subjected to an unseen torture at the hands of the female power inhabiting the room.

Episode 20: Despair

Tsukasa’s gone missing, Subaru and gang haven’t seen him since he brought her to the sleeping girl’s room. Right now, Subaru is wearing herself thin worrying about him and trying desperately to find him. The villainous team of BT, Sora, and the Silver Knight continue to shadow Bear’s team and plot their next move. The meeting is interesting as Sora reveals a theory that he believes that Tsukasa is actually a 

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comatose girl, not a boy. He also is now interested in finding out more information about the latest phenomenon in the World: unbeatable monsters. To Tsukasa – he remains in a near comatose state in the room where the girl slept, but the room is now dying with all of the trees in the midst of death. His only company is the mute cat-character who visits him. Back to the main team: Bear tells the team his latest discovery: he believes that the man that they found in the upside-down castle was a totem of Harald Hoerwick – the creator of the predecessor to The World. He now believes that they need outside help in solving this puzzle and decide that the best way is to contact Helba.

Episode 21: Phantom
After meeting Helba, Bear leads a team of Subaru and Mimiru to another location where a totem of Harald could be hiding and it turns out to be the dungeon where Mimiru first met Tsukasa. The team runs into one of the “unbeatable” monsters and try to escape but Subaru falls. Just as the monster is about to attack, it is deflected by Balmung who was shadowing the team the entire time. Agreeing to hold off the monster, he sends the team forward to contact Harald. The team meets Harald who talks much like their last meeting, but they learn that the sleeping girl is called Aura, and that it is a creation of Harald but she is being corrupted by an unnamed force.

Elsewhere, Sora and the Silver Knight go travelling around to challenge one of the unbeatable monsters… with Sora convincing the Silver Knight to join in to help solidify his status as a force of power worth leading the Crimson Knights. After the attacks goes about as well as one would expect, Sora abandons Silver Knight to die. Silver Knight manages to escape the fight and ends up meeting with Crim who helps him re-analyze why he plays the game.

Episode 22: The Eve

This episode has all characters being summoned by Helba to the same area so that a new gate can be opened. Each of the characters must decide for themselves if they want to join in the expedition. Most of the episode is spent with each character being introspective. Of interest is the return of Tsukasa who meets with Crim and learns of Subaru’s true life. Of all the collected characters, Sora does not agree to come along on the expedition and instead heads to the area where Aura and the force are holed up in.

Disc 5 may have had a faster pace than previous discs, but that’s not saying much, as the show continues to develop at a snail’s pace. .hack//sign may be a show that revels in its gorgeous animation and interesting character studies, I can’t recall an anime involving a “Fantasy” setting that had less action. Recommended for plot-philes only because people looking for an adrenaline fix will be sorely disappointed.

- Tazman

(April 18, 2004)

"Soon I'll have more money than Jesus. Yeah, that fat-cat is going down. Amen."

          - Sanford (3-South)

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