lol emotional does not equal intellectual.
I wrote a scalding review of this review but deleted it because I knew it would come across as mean (though it was purely factual).
I basically mentioned what was said
here but added a lot more too it.
One of your arguments why people might not like this show is due to its high "intellectual" level.
The main reason I didn't like .hack//sign however, was due to its lack of intelligence.
It's a basic sci-fi story filled with cliche Japanese drama. If you've ever invested time in the genre before, it won't be anything new and definitely not exciting.
By the end of the first episode it was pretty easy to guess what the "big mystery" was because in reality there's only a few possiblities as to what could've happened.
They even have to feed you false information to try and confuse the viewer (with minimal success) in an attempt to hide the obviously simple and straight storyline.
The one thing they do right lies in the setting and atmosphere. The world .hack// lays out for you is inspiring and amazing. Unfortunately that's where the fun ends.
Sorry, just couldn't keep my mouth shut on this one.
I typically have agreed with you on reviews up until this point too.
Unintelligent characters, terrible motivation, unnecissarily slow pacing, extreme amounts of whining/wallowing, and a poorly written, executed and predictable premise all lend a hand in ruining an otherwise grand idea.
6/10
Even the simple philosophical lessons that could've easily been introduced throughout the story are pretty much non-existent and overshadowed by the main character's overly-angsty disposition. 90% of this show is spent on characters standing or sitting in place complaining about how they feel.
Just because you can relate or enjoy a show brimming with emotional characters doesn't mean it's well-written or incredibly deep.
Being emotional requires no learning, reasoning or thinking.
It's what dumb people think is smart because it's all they can enjoy because truely witty shows are too far out of their league.
.hack//sign requires no pre-existing or real world knowledge to view either (which a truely "intelligent" show does). As long as you know what video games and computers are, you're good to go. There's no technical talk or computer, math, physics, astronomy, psychology, philosophy, history, or medical skills required to watch/understand this show, nor does it utilize any of that knowledge within it. A child could've come up with this premise. So as far as "smarts" go, this show is definitely lacking.
Maybe for children and highschool dropouts this show could be considered "intelligent" or "fun and whimsical" but anything beyond that, just forget about it.
I'll concede this guild
is oriented toward children since 18+ is off limits, but as an adult (22, currently attending my third year of college) I can say this show is nothing special.
Also, it has a very anti-climatic and disappointing ending.
(this is an extremely condensed version of what I previously posted)
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