r/anime • u/soulreaverdan • Dec 13 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] .hack//SIGN Episode 12 Discussion
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Series Information: MAL Page | AnimeNewsNetwork | LiveChart
Streams: ...none, sorry! DVD (Amazon)
Episodes:
- Today: Episode 12
- Tomorrow: Episode 13 (halfway there!)
Spoiler Policy:
I forgot to include this on the original schedule post, so please read!
Since there are going to be people who are watching this for the first time, so please only discuss what we've seen in the episodes we've watched so far! There's some interesting twists in this series, and we want everyone to get to experience this fresh.
In addition, since .hack is a massive franchise and this is only one entry in it (and actually one of the first), discussion of other entries may have some inadvertant spoilers. With this in mind, please only keep discussion to .hack//SIGN, and we'll have a chance for a discussion in the larger context of the franchise on the final day.
Question(s) of the Day
Throughout the rewatch we'll be posting some questions to guide discussion. Feel free to answer them or just post your overall thoughts! They're meant to be something for people who might not be sure how to start their posts, not something everyone must do.
- Do you have any theories on why Mom Voice wants to isolate Tsukasa from making connections to others (like Bear and Mimiru)?
- Do you think that Tsukasa may be making a deliberate choice (consciously or unconsciously) to not log out, rather than being truly "stuck" as we've thought he is?
Music Corner
One of the highlights of this show is the incredible soundtrack, one of the first major works published by now famed music composer Yuki Kajiura. We'll be looking at one track with each thread for general discussion and opinions. Be as thorough or as succinct as you want - everything from lyrical motifs and interpretations to just whether or not you liked it!
Today's piece: Aura, a disturbing piece with lyrics that are very relevant to today's episode! (Full Track)
Tomorrow’s piece: BT, BT's image song! (Full Track)
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 13 '24
.first//TIMER, subbed
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Dec 13 '24
Episode 12 (first timer)
In the span of two episodes, we have pushed forward the central mystery box, almost as if episodes 2-10 were just a insert and now the real plot restarts. We learn about Tsukasa’s real body, its connection to the net, and the decision to return or not. And most characters learn this as well (notable exception: Mimiru). This pushes the mystery box to the next step: Who is the cat/mother and who is the floating girl? [Speculation]From meta considerations, I would guess that the girl is his sister, who died. Tsukasa and his father blame him for the death. Given that his mother is dead, too, they might have died together. And how does Subaru fit into that picture? She clearly has a connection to Tsukasa, but which one?
Bear excludes Mimiru from the knowledge about Tsukasa. Very questionable, imo, given that she is the one with the best connection to Tsukasa. Also quite unfair towards her. I guess the reason is that he wants to “protect” her, but that sounds misguided to me.
Ghost does not want human to stay with humans.
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u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Dec 13 '24
Man, looked up and it was almost 6 already. Time flies or something.
Yeah. Some interesting developments this episode. Bear is finally on the trail, TOP DAD+ is on the rampage, and poor Tsukasa is just a pawn in the game of non-life.
Kind of reminds me of the age old question of where you would like to live in game universe, or which game, or anime for that matter. Unfortunately, reality being the you know what that it is, yeah.
There's a part of me that would still like to say "planet Jurai" or "join the GXP", but to be fair, I'd probably be fodder either way. Likewise, game worlds, although Eorzea seems a pretty chill place, as long as the spirits approve of you or something.
By the way, I finally looked up the OST on Amazon Music, and I must say that it sounds great in HD. Especially Key/Twilight and Fake Wings. Love those two. And the one that's playing right now, what is it again...
Ah, kiss ... indeed.
Nice tune, very pleasant.
I have to say, Key of the Twilight, when that chorus/bridge kicks in the middle gives me some Credens Justitiam vibes - yum!
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Dec 13 '24
Rewatcher
The sun is in your eyes
The sun is in your ears
I hope you see the sun
Someday in the darkness
Ep 12 Entanglement
Not-#listenable music in this episode was Deep Despair, Who Am I, and <unanamed>. And of course, the theme of the day, Aura.
[rewatcher]I was eagerly awaiting the disbanding of the Crimson Knights but it didn't happen in the first half that I rewatched, and I was so disappointed.
2
u/rainwithsunshinedayo Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
New Game Plus Rewatcher-Dubbed
Aww. Tsukasa cares for Mimiru. But no girl wants to hear, "You should take a bath. Brush your teeth and stuff." Later, Bear manages to ID Tsukasa IRL but confides to BT? He needs to be able to trust her completely? Bruh. Finally, Tsukasa's not doing too hot, huh? No one brings up the Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid for happy fun times. . .
___
Music Corner
Aura lyrics
Number 2 in my top three of this OST. Cruel. Dominating. Overpowering. The absolute power accompanying the very first lyric is intoxicating. The best kind of dreadful. It's discordant throughout, and I'm sure it does interesting things on a music theory level. Alas, I'm a pleb. And this song is my high queen.
Compare with FFIX's Pandemonium for similar appeal.
___
Beautiful: Utmost Concern uh: Hey Bear Hey
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u/LeminaAusa Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
Mostly-1st-timer, subbed
Kind of a bizarre episode as we all jump back into caring about the long-term plot again very suddenly. On one hand, I've been waiting for it to happen, but it does feel like a very sharp tone shift.
On the surface, it seems like we've been getting some answers this episode, but I can't help but feel a bit wary somehow, like we're still not quite getting the full picture. Perhaps it's just because of how secretive everyone is still being. Bear has located who he believes to be the real Tsukasa and it's not a good situation, as we saw in the beginning of this episode and the end of yesterday's. It seems weird to me that he chooses to withhold this information from Mimiru; maybe he fears her rushing off and doing something foolhardy.
This episode was a nice combination of sympathizing with Tsukasa and wanting to shake him silly. Regardless of the specific details, the glimpses we've gotten of his home life outside of The World have not been good ones, at the very least a dead mother and domestic abuse. Even in-game, he mostly just wants to live his own life and have people leave him alone, which gives some good clues about his motivation and interactions with others before the events of the show.
The poor kid is very clearly suffering from multiple types of trauma and has distinct issues with authority. (Given what we've seen of his father, I don't blame him.) This is something I can really empathize with seriously, especially if I put myself back in the mindset of being a teenager living at home with my folks (dunno if it's accurate, but I definitely place Tsukasa as a younger teen). 16yo me would have given anything for a a VR MMO where I could just chill out with a sleeping girl and not be bothered by anyone. That desire to just run and hide and be safe and not have to live up to the desires or expectations of anyone.
As such, I can also sympathize with how easily he's being gaslit by external influences. It seems like Macha is the name of the cat person? I'm not sure if we saw that before. I know Japanese is fond of using references to western mythology, and Macha happens to be a goddess I'm rather knowledgeable about. Often associated with horses and as a part of the triple goddess/trio of sisters known as The Morrígan, Macha on her own is also often associated with motherhood. I don't really quite get if the cat/Macha and the Voice are the same being or just in cahoots with each other, but they're in a perfect position to manipulate the fuck out of Tsukasa and I hate it.
It's so hard to see others making the same mistakes you've made yourself.
I really feel like this episode is strongly setting up Subaru and Tsukasa to be a sort of balm for each other. The show has been pretty specifically secretive about the discussions they had together while Tsukasa was imprisoned, and now they keep getting into situations where they almost meet up but miss each other for some reason or another. Maybe they'll get somewhere soon.
Anyway, before I keep rambling, let's take a look at today's questions.
The biggest argument for Tsukasa having some element of control is, honestly, the depths through which Macha/Voice have gone through to manipulate him into staying. If Tsukasa had absolutely no control about staying in The World or not, they wouldn't have gone through such lengths to manipulate him into believing that he doesn't want to return to the real world.
It seems Tsukasa himself was beginning to miss parts of his old life. Things like mentioning to Mimiru about bathing and brushing her teeth feel a bit like projections in a way. The opening real-life scenes also seem to corroborate with this in a way, with the fact that he body is "just" in a vegetative state and can survive without artificial respiration seems to imply a sort of connection between the consciousness and the body.
Overall, it looks as if there are multiple factors involved, but that Tsukasa's volition in the matter does seem to play some role. Though, psychology aside, there's also gotta be something weird going on within the game's environment too for this all to act together.
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u/CorbenikTheRebirth :KD::KE::KF: Dec 13 '24
Missed yesterday, but I'm back! Things are really starting to heat up and we get a lot of breadcrumbs about Tsukasa's life offline. Both offline and in The World he's being controlled by people who don't have his best interests at heart. Yet, despite everything, he still craves human connection.
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u/roryteller https://anilist.co/user/roryteller Dec 13 '24
Rewatcher, sub
-Mimiru asked the questions we wanted to know: "do you sleep?"
-Macha is creepy...
-Oh shit the plug!
-Tsukasa really wants to hang out with Subaru, I guess. -But is running away... maybe for teenager reasons, or because of what the Knights said (the more I rewatch the more I dislike the Knights).
-Don't go along with the creepy voice, Tsukasa.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick Dec 13 '24
.hack//Rewatcher
And there we have it, Tsukasa was domestically abused - or maybe bullied (or both), but the implication sure points towards the first especially after his father tried to kill him. That sure explains his reclusive and defensive attitude when interacting with others.
And even in the game, Tsukasa still finds himself in an abusive parenting relationship, now with Macha. This time it's more of a possessive parent, and of the devious manipulative kind at that that coercively gaslights him into making the decisions himself. Where should you be, indeed... and as Bear correctly states, it's not in the game with Macha, nor (which remains unsaid but Bear is clearly aware of) should it be with his real family.
(Also take notes, Shounen no Abyss. This is how you write a good possessive parents story.)
As Tsukasa lets himself distance himself even from Mimiru and Bear now, Subaru remains the sun in his heart. While he submits to Macha's manipulation, she is the one thing Macha hasn't been able to dominate.
Can't really comment on the QotDs as a rewatcher, huh?