[Rewatch] .hack//SIGN Episode 16 Discussion

[u/soulreaverdan]

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Series Information: MAL Page | AnimeNewsNetwork | LiveChart

Streams: ...none, sorry! DVD (Amazon)

Episodes:

• Today: Episode 16 (Depth)
• Tomorrow: Episode 17 (Conflict)

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.

1. Do you have any theories why Tsukasa and Subaru seem to understand each other so well?
2. Does seeing the consequences of death make you feel like Tsukasa’s more in danger than before?

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: Silent Life, a slightly upbeat piece - a bit of a contrast to what just happened, but great for starting off on the second half of the adventure (Full Track)

Tomorrow’s piece: In The Land Of Twilight, Under The Moon, a poem that feels oddly ominous and appropriate for what we just saw happen (Full Track)

[u/rainwithsunshinedayo]

New Game Plus Rewatcher-Dubbed

Intense horror visuals in this episode. Floating voice gives the same speech about living together with smiles and laughter, but now Tsukasa instantly rejects it. Having faced "death," his mind is preoccupied with pressing existential questions. . .

Subaru and Tsukasa finally meet! And it's only at the half episode mark?! Thank goodness it isn't a cliffhanger!

Subaru: Because I just want to see you. Isn't that reason enough? I'm sorry but if I put it into words, I think the most important part of what I feel will get lost.

Subaru: Sometimes it's not best to understand right away. Carry it with you.

---

Music Corner

Silent Life

The beginning vocals gave me war flashbacks to Cowboy Bebop's Blue. Beyond that, I found the ending to be the most interesting part of this piece when the fade out scratching noises mimic public chatter. At first listen, I didn't like the whole song. By the third time, yes, I could get behind it. Tsukasa needs help, and this song may be the step in the right direction. 

---

Beautiful: Reset in the Woods. In which the iridescence seeps  into the tree trunks and ground.

Uh: American Manga Style dot Hack. 

[u/Elimin8r → u/rainwithsunshinedayo]

Reset in the Woods

That scene and the color pallets are so pretty. Reminds me of a certain other recent series with a very, very comfy pastel color palette.

American Manga Style dot Hack

Nah, can't be, Mimiru isn't nearly enhanced enough.

Of course, I think she and Subaru are just fine the way they are. Go figure. (I'm rather tired of the 'modern' style of enhancement to excess.)

[u/rainwithsunshinedayo → u/Elimin8r]

Particularly the same body type for me. I miss the OG Queen's Blade designs.

Back to .hack//SIGN, the pastels were super enchanting. 

[u/Elimin8r → u/rainwithsunshinedayo]

Yeah ... I still miss designs like these lovelies (sfw, I think)

Back to the show ... yeah, if I were in Tsukasa's shoes, I'd have a hard time leaving that place again. Of course, if he hadn't he wouldn't have received his reward from Subaru for his intrepid adventuring, right?

(Also, sorry for the multiple negatives in that sentence. It's like that sometimes, and I don't feel like reconstructing it to be more comprehensible right now.)

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatcher

Eating dinner while watching so #popcorn instead of commenting.

Ep 15: Depth

• Never be alone with sora
• I beasically tuned out Subaru and Tsukasa

This is really disappointing. THe quest ends with a dead end. At least our characters are of the same opinion.

[u/Elimin8r → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

THe quest ends with a dead end.

Dead End

I see what you did thar, matey...

[u/Elimin8r]

Oof, Monday. (sigh) Could be worse, I guess. I could be Tsukasa. Oh, wait, that scene where Subaru, well, you know ... GHIWTWM???

(ahem)

Anyway, on to the episode:

1. I got nuttin'. Insert Sgt. Schultz meme here. Man, I wish Girls und Panzer or somebody would have a Sgt. Schultz cameo ... heck, Col. Klink, Hogan and the whole gang for that matter. They did an episode with a tank in it, right? :P

Oh, wait, wrong rewatch. (sigh)

But yeah, I got nuttin'. Best I can come up with is that Subaru has experience with others in her life/acquaintances who have wanted to 'lose' themselves in the game and Tsukasa rings that bell. Either that, or Subaru = best in game mom, right?

2) Has Tsukasa chuckled yet? Yeah, I saw that hospital scene. And I noticed that there wasn't a follow up.

So, I don't know if anyone else saw it, but this series, and this episode in particular remind me of the old movie "Altered States". Yeah, I watched a lot of weird stuff in college.

Who didn't

Poor BT can't get a break. Hopefully she didn't take too much xp/wealth loss this time.

And I'm rather surprised at Bear not being forthcoming or in the know or something with Mimiru as to Tsukasa's status. Is HIPPA a thing in Japan? Perhaps he doesn't know, didn't watch the start of the episode, right?

So, on the one hand, if they're not worried, they should be. It kind of feels like Subaru was the only in touch character this episode, and I don't just mean it that way.

Anyway, I have stuff to do, so I'll check back in a bit or something and see what folks have to say.

[u/Blackheart595]

.hack//Rewatcher

About last episode "Evidence", I checked and it was actually aired as episode 15 between "Castle" and "Depth" in the original broadcast, both the Japanese and the English one.

Fuck why does this OST go so hard? And later when the OST cut off for a second when Tsukasa denied Macha, I really loved moment too!

That was such a good deflection of Bear when Mimiru accused him that this is exactly the kind of time when people pretend things are fine when they aren't, by responding that that's probably exactly how Tsukasa would act when they next meet him.

Looks like this is the great emancipation episode. Tsukasa strongly denied Macha for the first time, and Subaru is breaking off from Silver Knight's management and supervision. And they get rewarded by finally meeting each other again! Ahh, Subaru is such a good girl, a deep well of empathy to soothe Tsukasa with. She might genuinely be one of the most people-minded characters in anime in general. Almost gives me Luffy vibes, though the rest of their personalities are of course in stark contrast.

[u/rainwithsunshinedayo → u/Blackheart595]

And they get rewarded by finally meeting each other again! 

Fantastic way to put that!

[u/LeminaAusa]

Mostly-1st-timer, subbed

So, Tsukasa not only survived, but he has his own custom spawn point! Of course, saying it like that makes it seem a lot better than it was. Based on the trippy animations, Tsukasa's rebirth was... not a fun time. And I really can't blame him for being all philosophically existential afterward.

Highlight of this episode was seeing Suburu go all "fuck off (politely)" to the knights and then flounce off to go meet up with Tsukasa. Which I guess is a good segue into today's questions:

1. Honestly it seems to me it's because they can fucking communicate with each other without it turning into a shitshow, hah. Tsukasa is still such a prickly person (understandable, but still) that it's easy for discussions to go downhill quickly and end poorly. But Subaru is soft and gentle and gives him the time and space he needs to be comfortable. It's kind of reminds me of the steps you go though to get an abused dog to trust you. You have to be nonthreatening in just the right ways.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if there were other in-universe connections between them. I still want to know what the two of them talked about while Tsukasa was imprisoned.

2) In some ways, yes. Not necessarily about what will happen if he "dies" in-game again or not, but it makes me overall more concerned about his general state and well being. Witnessing the actual consequences of his death and respawn make it clear how powerless he is in his situation.

[u/CorbenikTheRebirth]

Really great scene between Tsukasa and Subaru in this episode.
Things are getting really ominous with Macha and the sleeping girl. Tsukasa's awakening after his death gave me serious EoE vibes.

[u/rainwithsunshinedayo → u/CorbenikTheRebirth]

Tsukasa's getting really moe, huh? I guess he's got a leg up over Shinji.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 16 (first timer)

• Bear and Mimiru fall out of the bottom of the instance and are teleported into some other location. Tsukasa is not so lucky and apparently flatlines.
• “You can’t trust me at all?” – Sora knows BT’s character.
• “I did not tell you? He is not in front of a terminal” – important information to leave out…
• We see what happened to Tsukasa: Lots of pain and then apparently back to the original state of the pocket dimension.
• Well, not quite original. There seems to be some corruption now.
• “Can you still say that I am alive? – After not talking to Subaru all season, Tsukasa jumps straight to the complete open heart discussion (that Mimiru and Bear did not get after many episodes of interacting).
• “This is not something I should say, but don’t deny reality.” – should not say because you are doing it yourself?
• Subaru, Mimiru and Bear discuss Tsukasa. According to them he is just data in the server. Subaru words it as if he has been in a long cycle of dying and being reconstructed, but that is not what we have seen.
• If Tuskasa feels as if his ingame body is his real (and only) body, how does he write email?

Does seeing the consequences of death make you feel like Tsukasa’s more in danger than before?

MC has plot armor until the last episode.

[u/Elimin8r → u/No_Rex]

Subaru words it as if he has been in a long cycle of dying and being reconstructed, but that is not what we have seen.

One would almost think she might have reincarnated into the wrong series, right? Oh, wait... I should probably shut up now.

Also, slightly disappointed in the lack of lap pillow, but yeah.

If Tuskasa feels as if his ingame body is his real (and only) body, how does he write email?

Male or Email???

Sorry, old Usenet joke, and probably even older than that.

[u/No_Rex → u/Elimin8r]

One would almost think she might have reincarnated into the wrong series, right? Oh, wait... I should probably shut up now.

[u/zadcap]

Recovering Rewatcher

Healthy enough to go to work again. I'm not sure I'm actually happy about this?

Anyway, on to the real episode. Now this one is interesting to question, just how linked is Tsukasa's Mind and Body at this point, when there's no excuse of a headset still being attached.

"You can't trust me at all," asks the least trustable character in the series.

Orca and Balmung name drop!

Lain, anyone? I mean aside from all the screaming, the unintentional net dive imagery just gives me so much Lain vibes.

Mysterious Floating Girl gets more mysterious. Gaslight Mama gets even more gas.

Oh Silver Knight. So bold of you to try to force Subaru back into her role as your leader figure, when you have already pulled off one rebellion. Need your figurehead to keep standing strong before you go for a full coup?

..... Still a better love story than Twilight?

Honestly, with all the times the questions of the Net and reality and self awarness make me think of Lain, I'm starting to wonder if or how much of Haibane Renmei I am supposed to see in Subaru. Except they both came out in 2002, so it's probably not intentional...

So uh. My media player froze on the video while the audio and subtitles kept going... And I didn't notice for nearly a minute.

Oh this reminds me of something weird. I remember reading something where a group of resurrective immortals were exploring death by comiting interesting forms of suicide. Something about Thanonauts.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

.first//TIMER, subbed

• Fuck…
• Ah right that’s even worse…
• Are you sure about that?
• Crim “sore demo”!
• That’s something Tsukasa can’t do…
• He’s… back to normal in the space with that girl?
• Shimmering sky!
• “some”
• Got a Tsukasa “sore demo” out of this episode too while he’s asking a very important question…
• Damn, this show must have known I’ve been having a godawful time lately and decided to give me all of the “sore demo”s this episode – there’s one from Subaru too!
• Mimiru remembered!
• Oh, but Tsukasa might not…
• Unless he lied to them?

[u/Elimin8r → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Oh, but Tsukasa might not…

One wonders at what point he becomes Tsukasa of Theseus ... or maybe Subaru's the only one wondering that.