The World is an online community for some sort of massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Our main character, Tsukasa, starts the series off with a sort of amnesia. He seems to know that he is in a virtual world, but he is unable to log off. This seems like an impossibility; after all, even if he can't log off through the program, you can always turn off the console / computer terminal or hell, even pull off the cord, but he just can't log off. In fact, he doesn't say he's in front of any terminal... which has got to be impossible! Tsukasa wanders the World and meets several people, being questioned by pretty much all of them. Since he was seen in the company of a suspicious cat-player, he was confronted by the Silver Knight, who is allegedly a strong warrior, but some blob appears out of nowhere and defeats the Knight. Thus sets off gossip and rumor about Tsukasa, the weird Wavemaster player that allegedly cannot log out and is seen with that suspicious blob. Every action taken by Tsukasa is suspicious and impossible; the Silver Knight was physically hurt after his battle with the creature that hangs around Tsukasa; what measures will be taken to solve these mysterious problems? What is the mysterious Key to the Twilight item that is constantly talked about, and who is the mysterious sleeping girl in that seperate realm Tsukasa always goes to?

This is a typical theme that occurs in anime in which one character's feelings toward another are showed through anger and worry. But in Tsukasa's case, he's just needy and not straightforward... and then you realize that the characters you are seeing aren't the real characters... but that barrier is one of the key points of the .hack series.

The most I've seen was a harsh, violent sound of screams coming from players... which sounds a little dramatic for a game, but it may make sense soon. There's also the occasional fight with a monster, but that barely ever happens. Oh, and player-killing. There's too much of that.

So, you know the story, right? Well, you should have been able to tell what was wrong with it, right? The plot sorta goes all over the place and seems ludicrous if you think about how this is a game that people are playing in front of a computer. It seems odd that they can convey such expressions and feel certain emotions when they don't actually know who the other characters are. Of course, plenty of paying attention and internal problem solving can help out this matter. .hack//sign is definitely something you have to get used to or avoid.

Now, the good points. For one, the story does a good job of getting you hooked, and effectively leaves you guessing what will happen in the next episode. Not only that, but the character designer is Yoshiyuki Sadamato, the character designer of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Also take into account that the music leaves a lasting impression (gotta love that chorus in the background) and fits in perfectly with the scenery and mood of the current situation.

Definitely give .hack//sign a try. If you don't like it, that's okay; it's understandable. .hack//sign is somewhat of an acquired taste, but if you happen to have that taste, you might actually think that the B grade is too low. If you're not hooked by the end of the second episode, don't bother with the rest. For the rest of you, kudos! You have found quite the treasure.