Forum - View topic.hack//SIGN (TV).
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Crisha
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.hack//SIGN (TV) Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction Themes: Online computer gaming, Virtual reality Plot Summary: Amidst a popular online role playing game in the near future, characters try to play out the goals they set for entertainment and passing of time. The World as the RPG is called is one with a setting of monsters, player characters and dungeons. Tsukasa is a detached and introverted character that has a number of mysteries about his player character. Many weird happenings seem to suround Tsukasa and his involvement in a rare item called 'The Key Of The Twilight' sparks Tsukasa'a meeting with different online characters and the befriending of their real life counterparts; All without ever meeting face to face in reality. What is strange about Tsukasa is that he can't seem to log out of The World. Subaru and Silver Knight of The Crimson Knights continue to look for proof of why Tsukasa can not log out or the existance of The Key Of The Twilight. Meanwhile Bear, Mimiru, and BT as Tsukasa's friends try to help him understand who he really is and how he can return to the real world. ---------------------------------- Anime Marathon Discussion (Nov. 6th, 2015 - Nov. 15th, 2015) starts here
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Crisha
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Anime Marathon Discussion (Nov. 6th, 2015 - Nov. 15th, 2015)
Spoilers Reminder for Marathon Discussion: Tag all spoilers within your post(s) and record the episode number(s) you're discussing at the top of your post. |
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Dessa
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Episodes 1-2
.hack//SIGN is one of my favorite shows. I'll never forget that Saturday afternoon in February, where Cartoon Network had advertised this new anime they'd be playing, not during Toonami or [adult swim], but at 3pm in the afternoon. It sounded interesting, so I watched it. The first thing that stuck out to me was the music. The music in the series is amazing. Kajiura Yuki quickly jumped to the top of my list for anime composers, and she still sits up there. Knowing that Kajiura composed the soundtrack is a major selling point for me. The fact that the DVDs (at least, the original US DVDs, don't know about FUNimation's newer release) has an audio option of "Isolated Score" is amazing. I'm actually watching it like that for this run. No English voices, no Japanese voices, just the music and the subtitles. It's really neat to watch that way. Thinking on the soundtrack now, the music isn't that dissimilar from things she's done since then. The music is very reminiscent of the Tsubasa Chronicles soundtrack, as well as a bit of the Xenosaga II and III soundtracks. Now, it just seems like her "style," but this was the first time I'd heard her style of track. The first episode throws you in, but, at the same time, introduces The World to you through Tsukasa's confusion, allowing you to learn along with him. Appropriately, the name of the first song is spoiler[The World]. One thing that I didn't get until later, is that the Crimson Knights spoiler[are a 100% player-run group, having no actual authority in The World]. It's explicitly said later on, but the way Silver Knight acts wouldn't have you believe that, until later. For as amazing as the soundtrack is, it makes it all the more odd when scenes have no music at all. Oh, the classic Water Sprite and the axe question. How I wish I could attack those things in the games, sometimes! It does bother me a bit that Bear spoiler[assumes that Tsukasa is a newbie]. It's not established spoiler[how long Tsukasa's been playing], but the anime doesn't give you spoiler[any sort of HUD to see if that's shown to players]. Mention of Orca and Balmung make me really disappointed that they never animated the .hack//AI Buster novel. Watching them spoiler[take down One Sin] would have been really cool. .hack//SIGN is pretty old now, by anime standards. Technology has changed quite a bit since it was released, especially in gaming. One thing that's bothered me, especially with other MMO-based series, is that SIGN doesn't feel like they're in a game. It feels much more fantasy world-esque. Like I mentioned above (in spoilers), spoiler[the lack of a HUD] takes me out of the "game" aspect. Another thing, with how many players supposedly play the game, why is it that the same people keep running into each other randomly, and there aren't a lot of players online. At least with SAO, you can justify the repeated run-ins of the main cast (before they become friends) in that they're mostly in the lead group, so they work together. And in Log Horizon, there really isn't a lot of "random" run-ins outside of friends and guilds. But the number of times Tsukasa "randomly" runs into Mimiru, just in a single day, is a bit on the "to much to be coincidental" side. So, the show opened with spoiler[The World], and it ends (almost) with spoiler[The Key of the Twilight], appropriate, even if at this point, we haven't even heard mention of spoiler[The Key of the Twilight]. However, if you know the story, you know that while that song was playing, Tsukasa spoiler[created his contract with Morganna], which is directly connected to spoiler[the Key of the Twilight]. And, at the end of the episode, we get the first of the spoiler[real world scenes]. This one spoiler[shows An being found unconscious in her room]. Important note regarding spoiler[gender pronouns] (Note: this has spoilers for late in the series, as well as a bit from supplimentary materials, so read at your own risk. I'm tagging the entire thing, so I don't accidentally let something slip) spoiler[Tsukasa is a male avatar. However, his player, An, is female. This is something that is considered and dismissed early on (as Tsukasa is unaware himself). I do not believe that An is mis- or transgendered. Given her home life, and her father having wished for a son, she chose to play The World as Tsukasa, a boy, because in The World she could be what she wasn't in real life. When I post, I keep "Tsukasa" the avatar and "An" the player separate. As such, for Tsukasa I use male pronouns for, and An I use female pronouns for.] The spoiler[lack of a HUD] also bothers me when spoiler[Macha "speaks"]. It's never explained in-show spoiler[how Tsukasa can understand her], but from reading AI Buster, it seems that spoiler[Macha, like Lycoris, "speaks" in text chat]. Which we'd know, if spoiler[we saw any sort of HUD on the screen]. They mention that Tsukasa spoiler[must be on the same server, since he was seen in Mac Anu], but in the games, the spoiler[Chaos Gates a Root Towns] let you spoiler[change servers]. Furthermore, Bear mentions spoiler[that he must still be on "this" server if he was seen in Mac Anu], except he's spoiler[in Dun Loireag, which is on a different server from Mac Anu]. It could be the anime staff and the game staff not speaking to each other, but it is bothersome, especially when a scene later refers to spoiler[Dun Loireag being a different server]. I assume that the animators didn't pay attention to spoiler[Root Town designs] when they were animating things. I also like that, when spoiler[confronted with what happened to Silver Knight], Tsukasa spoiler[talks tough], but spoiler[shows that he is shocked and surprised at what happened, and obviously didn't know what he'd done]. |
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Dessa
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Episodes 3-14
I do think that spoiler[Fake Wings] is the most commonly played vocal song in the show. One thing, that I seem to only notice when I'm watching with Isolated Score, is the way the score runs. Some scenes are completely quiet. Others have a track start in the scene, and run across another scene or more. When watching with the dialogue, everything seems to flow normally, but watching with Isolated Score makes you really notice the oddness of the music, all of which transcends scene breaks. We have the second scene of spoiler[An's past], this time of spoiler[her father taking away a stray kitten she was trying to nurse], contrasted with spoiler[Tsukasa watching the sleeping Aura, and being told to "paint her with your colors"]. As an aside, this reminds me a bit of spoiler[Kamen Rider Gaim], which used the same terminology, though in fairly different circumstances. It is a bit annoying, knowing the vocal songs so well, when a normally-vocal piece of BGM comes up without the vocals. I want to sing along! And now, in Episode 3, we have our first glimpse of a very important field, in the mythology of The World as well as within the story of the various anime, game, and manga iterations: spoiler[Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground]. Watching the show, knowing the answers to everything, and why spoiler[Tsukasa acts the way he does], you can see the hints, extremely early on, on how spoiler[Tsukasa is acting like a neglected child, desperate for someone's approval, something that An has never gotten in her life]. I've been getting spoiler[mind screw] in RahXephon, and now in Episode 4 starts the spoiler[mind screw] in .hack//SIGN. Along with a glimpse of spoiler[An crying at her mother's funeral], we also have spoiler[Morganna, the unnamed voice, implying to Tsukasa that she is his mother]. Something I've never noticed before, in any of my previous viewings, is the significance of the scene where spoiler[Subaru speaks to the shopkeeper]. In all reality, and as far as any regular player knows, spoiler[the shopkeeper is just a NPC]. However, players of the games would know that spoiler[the System Administrators will appear as shopkeepers]. So it wasn't spoiler[a shopkeeper/NPC that she was speaking with], but spoiler[a System Administrator]. A new spoiler[real world] scene, this one where we see spoiler[an unknown man trying to light a cigarette, outside of a hospital]. After the eyecatch, my favorite non-vocal song starts. I have to point this out. It's two flutes and a drum, and it's a beautiful piece. I've performed it before, and it's great fun to play. The next scene ties right into the one before, where it's revealed that spoiler[Bear's player was the one we saw in the real world, and that a comatose girl is at the hospital.] Viewers who know what's going on will know that spoiler[Bear's player's suspicion that it's An, Tsukasa's player, are correct], but there's still a lot unknown, such as spoiler[how she got trapped in the game], and spoiler[how she remains in the game without being in front of a terminal]. As a break, for those who are unaware, I should explain how users connect to The World. All 3 of the major "stuck in an MMO" anime have a different method. Log Horizon is the most like what we have currently. You sit in front of your monitor and play the game with a keyboard and mouse. .hack//SIGN, on the other hand, takes it a step further, and has a VR set-up similar to something like Occulus Rift. You wear a head-mounted VR screen, and sit in front of your computer, controlling the game with a normal controller. SAO, of course, is full-on virtual reality, where you are mentally within the game. I honestly don't care for the scene where spoiler[Bear and Mimiru talk to Tsukasa, wondering if his player is An]. It has a two-fold purpose (1, spoiler[to aggravate Tsukasa], and 2, spoiler[to give you confusion as to what Tsukasa's player's gender actually is]). That latter part is what bugs me about the scene. I'd rather spoiler[it left ambiguous], rather than spoiler[direct misdirection by flat-out telling you that the truth is wrong]. The scene after, however, is a new favorite of mine. I say new favorite because it wasn't originally a favorite. In fact, I didn't like it much at all. In the scene in question has spoiler[Tsukasa is attacked by 4 Player Killers, and massacres them with the Guardian]. Sure, it showcases spoiler[Tsukasa's foul mood], and spoiler[how out-of-it Tsukasa is]. You know that something's wrong when spoiler[Aura begins to play, one of the creepiest songs on the soundtrack], and then spoiler[Tsukasa can't control the Guardian]. However, what isn't shown in the anime, and why I like it so much now, is that spoiler[there were actually 6 people present, not 5]. In the AI Buster novels, you learn that spoiler[Albireo witnessed the attack], and goes a bit more into what happened outside of just what we saw. Really, if you're interested in the overall mystery and unraveling the clues beyond Tsukasa's story, you should really read the AI Buster novels (the second one is more side-stories, but this particular story is entitled spoiler[Wotan's Spear] and is in the second one.). spoiler[Tsukasa's capture] in Episode 5 never sat well with me, but I feel really sorry for anyone who wasn't watching the dub, and had to wait 2 months for the next episode. Episode 6, though, introduces another of my favorite songs, spoiler[A Stray Child]. Also, I ended up turning dialogue back on, just because I kept forgetting I was watching something while just the music played! Also, Crim is now in it, and Shinichiro Miki does an awesome job as him. On a personal note, this viewing is a bit more powerful for me, now that I have admitted that I spoiler[have depression], and always having spoiler[identified closely with Tsukasa]. Now, watching it, I'm seeing what spoiler[Tsukasa goes through], and how spoiler[he needs support, not antagonizing], that spoiler[he's never gotten in real life]. Our next spoiler[real world scene] is pretty obvious, as spoiler[Mimiru's avatar is obviously based on her real-world appearance]. Ugh, spoiler[A-20] I've never liked this character or this episode, but it is good development for Mimiru. Tsukasa has a lot of problems. Another spoiler[flashback] shows us that spoiler[there had been some sort of family day at An's school, presumably elementary, given the apparent ages of the characters]. Kajiura commented, in one of the liner books for the OSTs, that she was disappointed that she never got to compose a theme for spoiler[Sora]. However, I feel that the use of spoiler[the Grunty theme] works quite well for spoiler[him]. We get to see the rest of the spoiler[flashback], and while it's not completely clear, it appears that spoiler[something (or someone) got in the way of someone offering An food]. The spoiler[baby Grunty episode] is a it strange, but I do enjoy it, a bit. I don't remember off the top of my head if we get more on the spoiler[bike flashback scene], but I want to say that we do. The episode focusing on spoiler[Bear's son], IMO, sets up the ending of the series wonderfully. spoiler[BT had already warned him to prepare to take responsibility for meddling in the matter of Tsukasa], and here we see that spoiler[Bear has a bad relationship with his real-life son, and he's being given a second chance with Tsukasa]. We also get to see the spoiler[actual root town of Carmina Gadelica], though we first saw spoiler[the server in the Mimiru episode]. I do feel a bit sorry for anyone watching this streaming or on the newer sets, because you lose a bit of what was done on the individual releases. For one, sticking with the computer software-theme, instead of being "volume 1," etc, it's "Vers. 01," etc. Secondly, the titles of the individual volumes. Each volume has its own title and significant meaning within the show: Volume 1 (episodes 1-5) - spoiler[Login. The start of the adventure] Volume 2 (episodes 6-10) - spoiler[Outcast. Tsukasa being separate from everyone and learning to let people close] Volume 3 (episodes 11-14) - spoiler[Gestalt. A German word, meaning something that can't be figured out from just the pieces, but requires the whole. Definitely describes this series.] Volume 4 (episodes 15-18) - spoiler[Omnipotence. Having great or infinite power. At this point, that would be Morganna.] Volume 5 (episodes 19-22) - spoiler[Uncovered. The answers are being uncovered] Volume 6 (episodes 23-25) - spoiler[Terminus. A few various meanings, but in this sense, the "end of the line."] And, of course, if you line all of the discs up, you get the first letters lining up to spell spoiler[LOGOUT]. Episode 11 is a great episode. My favorite riddle comes from this episode, even. Listening to them talk about older computers is hilarious as well. BTW, the riddle is as follows: spoiler[In the world where 1 is 2, 5 is 5, and 8 is 7, what appears when you multiply 331 and 3 without heaven and earth]? The answer is spoiler["EGG"]. (Explanation: spoiler[The "1 is 2, 5 is 5, and 8 is 7" segment refers to a calculator's 7-segment font. 1 has 2 segments, 5 has 5 segments, and 8 has 7 segments. "multiple 331 and 3" gets you 993, and the "without heaven and earth" tells you to turn it upside down. When you type 993 on a 7-segment font calculator, it appears to be the word "EGG"].) An spoiler[innocent question from Mimiru] ends up spoiler[upsetting Tsukasa and triggering a flashback], but she seemingly doesn't notice, as she starts ranting about her father, leading to a hilarious joke that works in both English and Japanese, provided spoiler[you know what the word "ecchi" means in Japanese]. And then, of course, comes the mood whiplash. After such a light-hearted episode, we come to spoiler[a real-world scene, in which An's father tells the doctors that he wants to take her off of life support]. While it seems that spoiler[Episode 12 picks up where 11 left off], looking more closely, you can see that spoiler[it's Bear's player speaking to a doctor, not An's player]. This culminates, later in the episode, with spoiler[someone, possibly Bear's player, stopping An's father from pulling the plug on her life support]. Given spoiler[Tsukasa's immediate physical reaction], it's pretty concrete proof spoiler[that the person on life support is Tsukasa's player], though spoiler[a first-time viewer might not realize that it's An]. We also see in this episode one of those strange things that doesn't mesh with the rest of the franchise: spoiler[there are archer-class characters, which don't exist in the games or any other media than SIGN]. Finally, in episode 13, we get introduced to the final player in the game, spoiler[Helba]. As many times as spoiler[I've gone to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground] in the game, I've never spoiler[tried to use a Fairy Orb there. Pretty sure it wouldn't work, anyway]. Umm, who's idea was it to watch spoiler[2 mind-screwy shows at the same time]? Oh yeah, mine, nevermind. Unfortunately, it's time to start getting ready for bed, so I'll have to leave off at the horrible place of spoiler[Tsukasa being data drained]. Good thing I know what happens. |
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Dessa
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Evidence
For those unaware, Evidence is a recap episode. It was broadcast between episodes 14 and 15 in both the Japanese and English broadcast versions, and included as a bonus episode on the final DVD release (not sure if they number it in the Japanese release, but it's Episode 27 in the US release). I know some people don't like recap episodes, and often skip them, but I'm not like that. Yes, I've gone out of my way to put Disc 6 in to watch Evidence, rather than continuing onto Disc 4. I actually really like Evidence as an episode. The scenes, especially the spoiler[flashback] scenes, are rearranged, and give you a better sense of what's going on as a whole. I remember, the first time I saw it, that I actually was able to make sense of things with it, that hadn't clicked for me by watching the original episodes. If I had to complain about anything in it, it would have to be spoiler[how much footage from Episode 14 is used], considering spoiler[it was the immediate previous episode to this]. Hmm, didn't notice that before. In this and Episode 14, when spoiler[Tsukasa points them in the direction to go within the upside down castle], the line is subtitled as "spoiler[it feels evil]." However, I noticed the Japanese dialogue was "spoiler[yana kanji]," which I usually see translated as "spoiler[feels bad]," such as in spoiler[Pokemon (it's Japanese Team Rocket's version of "We're blasting off again")]. I don't know if the subbed version is inaccurate, but it's definitely differetn from what I usually see it subbed as. Everytime I've seen this, I've been convinced that spoiler[that final scene with Subaru] is new to this episode, and was not in previous episodes. And I've yet to spot it in any previous episode in rewatches as well. |
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Dessa
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Episode 15
Picking up from where 14 left off, Mimiru has an important question: spoiler[if Tsukasa can't log out and can feel pain, what happens when he gets killed]? It's something that gets brought up spoiler[in other series, such as SAO and Log Horizon]. This part is physically painful for me to watch, especially spoiler[since I've always associated myself with Tsukasa]. It's not as bad as another scene later on, but it's still pretty bad. Unlike earlier, with the scene spoiler[questioning Tsukasa's gender, to give us false info], this episode where spoiler[Tsukasa believed that he'd figured something out, only to lose that memory] feels much less contrived and awkward. I also like this episode, because of the questions that are raised about the nature of everything. |
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Dessa
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Episodes 16-19
I don't remember if I caught this before, but when Bear and BT are talking spoiler[about Mimiru noticing Tsukasa's memories are different], and Bear spoiler[makes the comment about being "childish"], I don't think that spoiler[he was referring to Mimiru]. Instead, I think that spoiler[he was referring to BT's dismissal of Mimiru's concerns just because she's young]. I've never been a fan of BT, and this episode just serves to confuse my feelings on her. She seems to spoiler[be actively pushing people away from her], while, at the same time spoiler[wanting people closer to her, but only in the way she wants them]. And I still don't get what exactly she was trying to say about herself with explaining her name. This episode does also prove that spoiler[player levels aren't shown to other players], when spoiler[BT gets tricked by the two PKs]. Which means that, back in Episode 1 spoiler[Bear had no way of knowing if Tsukasa was a new player or not]. Assuming Japanese schools are the same as American ones, or, at least, that BT lives somewhere where this is how it works, she has to be spoiler[about 28 in age], since spoiler[her high school reunion would have likely been 10 years, since she doesn't look (or act) old enough for it to be closer to 15 or 20]. Episode 17, titled spoiler[Declaration], sets itself up for being a major turning point in the series. It is, but likely not in the way that people would expect. For how it is, though, it's one of my favorite episodes. Up to this point, spoiler[Subaru] has been an important player, but spoiler[in a precarious position]. spoiler[She was in a position of authority], but, as this episode points out spoiler[with no actual authority]. And it leads to things such as what happens in this episode. It's common to see on any forum on the internet. It starts out with spoiler[users who are interested and invested in making sure the forums are a good place to be]. But it gets beyond spoiler[reporting inappropriate posts], to spoiler[them taking it upon themselves to act in place of the moderators/administrators], and spoiler[attempting to punish or send away users for perceived infractions]. It's one thing to spoiler[gently remind users if they break the rules], but, as was the point here, spoiler[trying to enforce rules that you have no authority over just causes problems]. Most first-time viewers, upon viewing the episode title, likely felt that the title was in reference to spoiler[a decision being made that would lead to the climax of the story], and may have been disappointed. At the same time, though, knowing the story, one would know that spoiler[Subaru's actions here do directly lead to the climax of the story]. Episode 18, immediately following this, is an incredibly powerful episode, on multiple levels. On the one hand, you have spoiler[Subaru's current state, stripped of what made her unique, trying to find her place in The World]. On another, you have spoiler[Subaru and Crim's first meeting, and Crim's comments on speaking up for oneself, and that speaking up for oneself won't always work]. And, finally, you also have a bit of spoiler[what it's like for someone with physical disabilities to be in a world were there's no difference between them and anyone else], which is something spoiler[Log Horizon] touches on as well. So, a few posts ago, I mentioned a disturbing scene, and there was a worse one coming up. That worse one is in Episode 19, when spoiler[Morganna violently datadrains Tsukasa]. I'm 100% certain that the spoiler[rape implications and imagery] are intentional, especially with spoiler[the imagery of his clothing being ripped off]. Even worse, is the implication of spoiler[a domestic abuse victim putting up with it to protect another person from the same abuse]. When you combine that with the fact that spoiler[An was abused by her father, who tried to kill her in the hospital], it becomes even worse. Every time I watch SIGN, I have to take a break here. This is no different. I'm going back to ScraPrin for a while. |
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Dessa
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Episodes 20-22
Not as bad as the end of Episode 19, but, starting in Episode 20, the scenes of spoiler[mindraped Tsukasa] are really difficult to watch. Seeing random PCs in scenes, always reminds me of the one scene I can never catch when I'm looking for: the scene that shows an archer PC. There are no archer classes in the game, although the anime shows one. It's one of those weird things, like with spoiler[calling what is obviously Dun Loireag the same server as Mac Anu] (although later spoiler[the same area was referred to as Dun Loireag, and a different server from Mac Anu]), where the staff of the anime obviously didn't know about details of the games (which were in production at the same time). This is why series bibles are important! While I enjoy episode 21's spoiler[cameo of Balmung], I also feel that spoiler[it's really out of place]. Though spoiler[he's been mentioned multiple times already in the series], spoiler[throwing him in for a one-off cameo] felt like a waste. Especially since spoiler[Orca wasn't with him]. If it had've been spoiler[the two of them], it might not have set as badly with me. As it is, it feels like spoiler[an advertisement for the games], even though spoiler[he doesn't join you until the third game, IIRC]. At least if spoiler[Orca had've been with him], it would work better, since spoiler[Orca's with you at the start of the first game]. On the plus side, though, we're finally starting to get answers! Which is immediately followed in Episode 22 with spoiler[getting the ball rolling on getting to the climax]! Other than the two in the first episode, I never really paid attention to the spoiler[bugs] scattered through the series. It's interesting to see spoiler[how Tsukasa interacts with them] and spoiler[how that changes as the series goes on]. Seeing the scene with spoiler[Tsukasa and Crim], you can tell that spoiler[Crim has been helping Mariko (Subaru's player) in the real world a lot]. It also leads to one of my favorite spoiler[real-world scenes]. It's obviously spoiler[time-displaced], since spoiler[Tsukasa is still in the game], and spoiler[An hasn't woken up]. But just seeing spoiler[An tell a police officer what she's gone through], and, even better spoiler[the look she gives her father, that she's defying him, and won't take his abuse anymore] is so empowering. You also have to appreciate the amusement when spoiler[Crim, Silver Knight, and BT] all start spoiler[talking about Annwyn], when spoiler[the author is standing right there with them]. I don't remember if spoiler[BT knows that Bear wrote the book] or not, but I believe spoiler[she does at least know that he's an author]. It's interesting, for me at least, that the lyrics to this song on the soundtrack spoiler[are in Japanese]. Additionally, this song spoiler[isn't on any of the SIGN OST], but spoiler[the Liminality OST, as it's the opening for the second Liminality episode]. |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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Episodes 23-25, Intermezzo, Unison
Okay, so spoiler[BT does definitely know what he does. Though I'm still not sure if she knows specifically that he wrote Annwyn]. I do love the scene spoiler[where Bear talks about becoming An's guardian]. Not only does it spoiler[come full circle with the scene with BT early in the series], but it also spoiler[helps show why An was willing to speak against her father]. spoiler[In The World, she gained the confidence she needed, and Bear gave her the ability to have a choice]. I don't know much about Japan's spoiler[child abuse laws], but I've heard that spoiler[foster homes the way we have them in the US are almost non-existent there], and that spoiler[most children in the system, especially older ones, are shoved into group homes]. This spoiler[would not be a good situation for An, who, without the option, may have gone back to her father]. I also love spoiler[when Tsukasa realizes that he can't just be a passive participant], and spoiler[steps up to act as healer]. Of course, this all leads to spoiler[Tsukasa, Subaru, and Mimiru becoming separated from the others]. Which, in turn, leads to spoiler[Morganna trying to mind screw each of them]. spoiler[Morganna only needs Tsukasa to stay negative], but it seems obvious that spoiler[she's pissed that Mimiru and Subaru were able to make Tsukasa more positive, and is taking it out on them as well]. It's worth noting as well that spoiler[it's Tsukasa, the one who would have been most likely to believe that the others had turned on him, that sees through the illusion]. spoiler[Stray Child] being played here fits perfectly. On the one hand, you have spoiler[Tsukasa, as well as the other two, but moreso Tsukasa, who are stray children]. On the other, you also have spoiler[Aura, herself a stray child, waiting for someone to find and awaken her]. I find it fitting that spoiler[Morganna loses the moment she tries to force Tsukasa, who has gained the strength to stand up for himself, to do what she wants, the same as An's father did]. Definitely a case of spoiler[Nice Job Fixing It, Villain]. And the remix of spoiler[Open Your Heart] is a wonderful BGM. There was always something spoiler[childish about Sora], and you can especially see it at play here. When you then spoiler[see what Morganna does to him], and then the spoiler[real world scene] where you learn that spoiler[his player is only a 4th grade student], you can't help but spoiler[feel for him, who was never particularly malicious, more mischievous], and spoiler[even Tsukasa was willing to become friends with him]. Even worse, spoiler[is that if you don't play the games, you won't find out Sora's fate]. (Game Spoilers) spoiler[Sora's in a coma for over 6 months, from the end of SIGN until the games, and then in the games until they're able to free Morganna's victims]. The spoiler[final real world scene], of spoiler[An finally leaving the hospital, and being met by wheelchair-bound Mariko], is spoiler[ a real tear jerker], especially spoiler[when the scene switches to color]. I'd always taken spoiler[the real world scenes being in that fuzzy greyscale-ish] as spoiler[being "unreal" compared to Tsukasa's world]. By spoiler[the scene going full color], it spoiler[solidifies that the real world is now An's world]. Likewise, spoiler[The World becoming a greyscale as Morganna speaks] is spoiler[a reverse]. And actually, I'd never noticed spoiler[the reversal] before. spoiler[An and Mariko's words to each other, "okaerinasai" and "tadaima" being traditional "welcome back" and "I'm home" expressions further solidifies the idea of An being "home" in the real world again]. Intermezzo is an interesting thing. It spoiler[is both a prequel and either a sequel or interquel (which one is not made clear, though I'm sure if I were to dig out Analysis, I'd find the answer)]. It spoiler[has to take place after the scene where Mimiru waits forever for Tsukasa], since spoiler[the same party passes her and it's commented on], but spoiler[it's not made clear if it's before or after Tsukasa is able to log out]. In the spoiler[prequel/flashback portions], it's interesting spoiler[to see Mimika and her players]. spoiler[The girls' thoughts of not being worth anything and not being able to help people], that spoiler[they conveyed to Mimiru], I feel spoiler[is part of why Mimiru felt drawn to Tsukasa. Like them, Tsukasa felt worthless, and Mimiru wanted Tsukasa to gain that feeling of having accomplished something within The World as they did]. It's a good episode, but after spoiler[the ending of SIGN proper] it spoiler[feels like a bit of a let down]. I should spoiler[find out where Analysis places it], and spoiler[watch it then on my next viewing. Probably before episode 15, but after 11]. And finally, we have Unison. Unison is best viewed spoiler[after playing the games], since it is spoiler[an epilogue to both SIGN and the games], though it spoiler[does use the SIGN OP/ED instead of its own themes, or something from the games/Liminality]. For those not aware of the timeline, or confused by it, the events go as follows: spoiler[Tsukasa became trapped in The World in 2009. He was trapped there for roughly 6 months. The games take place in 2010, about 6 months after the events of SIGN. The final battle of the games takes place on December 24, 2010. Unison takes place a few months after the end of the games, in early 2011. Given that An is busy with school, it's likely February or March, getting toward the end of the school year. I'm pretty sure the scene with An's cell phone says the date, but it's too small for me to read.] For those who haven't played the games, certain parts spoiler[such as Kite, Orca, and Balmung taking out a monster while looking for Data Bugs] may be a bit confusing, as well as the spoiler[scene with Mia], but overall it isn't too bad. It's an amusing throwback, also, spoiler[to Silver Knight finally figuring out that Sora was the player killer in Carmena Gadelica]. spoiler[Mimiru and Black Rose arguing over their similar character model], and spoiler[whatever the real-world noodle incident between Bear and Krim was] as well. The scene with spoiler[Tsukasa and Mia, and the Arromatic Grass] is so well done. spoiler[Tsukasa immediately recognizes Mia as Macha, even though Mia doesn't have any memories of that]. Even still, spoiler[even throughout the games, Mia was drawn to Aromatic Grass, remembering Tsukasa giving her one after he'd been attacked by Morganna]. And the fact that spoiler[Mia taking it restores it to its original state, after which she begins to cry] is just icing on the cake. (As is spoiler[Elk getting all jealous], but spoiler[I never liked Elk in the first place], so maybe it's just me.) spoiler[Sora unsure if he could join in, and Tsukasa calling them friends and pulling him out] is another great scene. Although spoiler[the monkey dance] is always disturbing. spoiler[Lios and his offer] is another thing that might be confusing to non-game players, but is spoiler[easy enough to understand the intent of]. I do really love Unison. I'm kinda surprised I haven't worn out my disc yet (like I did with the first copy of disc 6 that I had ^^;). |
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_Emi_
 Posts: 498 Location: Langjökull |
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Episodes 1-26, Unison
I will be somewhat contrary to Dessa here in not caring for the show. Not that that means I hated it. On a scale of 1-10 , I'd give it a shoulder shrug. I just could not get into this show and it completely killed my momentum. No gift card for me. We are in agreement about the soundtrack though. You won't be able to convince me to sell those soundtracks. I found the show to be slow with too much standing around and talking, and not enough doing. Maybe if I cared about the characters, it might have helped but I didn't. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but this show just didn't grab me. The show couldn't make me feel anything for Tsukasa at all. It could have been half-length and not much would have been lost.
It wasn't just you. I didn't see why Subaru didn't bring it up earlier when opposing Silver Knight's actions.
I'm glad you brought this up. I was wondering about that.
It's my favorite song. Key of the Twilight is another favorite. I wish the OP/ED was just as good.
I didn't find that a mind-screw at all. I found it obvious that she was lying in order to assert control over Tsukasa. I wish we could have gotten her name outside of the credits.
When I read end of the line, I got this image of spoiler[Morganna and the MCP teaming up.]
I thought it got it rolling a little too late.
And yet the games are no longer available without paying those ridiculous second-hand prices. Without those games the ending comes off as abrupt and I'm clearly missing out on something. Same with Unison. If you're going to have a multimedia franchise, all the pieces should be available. |
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