.hack//SIGN - Oh, Bee Train, Yuki Kajiura, how I've missed thee!

Thank god for YouTube, all of the episodes of .hack//SIGN are online. That means I can watch them all for the first time. As of writing, I just finished episode 14. What can I say about the series?

It's so... Bee Train.

And by that I mean it's slow, the backgrounds are cooler than the characters, and there are a lot of flashbacks. But the cool thing about the stuff Bee Train does? Despite all the crappy points, you're STILL hooked on it - now that's something.

By no means can this compare to the masterpiece that is MADLAX or even it's predecessor, Noir, but it's still worth a watch so far.

And, of course, we cannot forget the master of soundtracks herself, Yuki Kajiura. While the songs aren't her best work by far, they still echo of the similar themes that have made it into the MADLAX, Noir, Mai-HiME, and Mai-Otome soundtracks, including the simple soprano duets and the use of violin, as well as a slightly European sound. Though I do prefer Mezame and Canta per Me over any of the stuff I've heard so far.

However, the intro song, Obsession, which is performed by See-Saw (which is composed of Yuki Kajiura and the girl that sings the intro song of Simoun), is absolutely amazing. While the quality of the song is pretty pathetic (the vocals sound awful because of it), it's obvious what a great song it could be if it had been mixed a bit better. It's very Yuki Kajiura, again. I just wish it could have been mixed better.

I'm just spoiled by 'Utsukushi Kereba Sore de Ii', I guess.

So, let's make a link of anime and how they're connected:

Simoun -> .hack//SIGN -> MADLAX and Noir -> Mai-HiME / Mai-Otome -> Strawberry Panic! -> Maria-sama ga Miteru

Ehhh, that's as far as I go. And here's the rationale!!!:

Singer of the OP of Simoun sung in the OP for .hack//SIGN, for which the animation studio is Bee Train, like in MADLAX and Noir, where the soundtrack is composed by Yuki Kajiura, like Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome, who have the same two lead vocal seiyuu (spelling?) as in Strawberry Panic! which was supposedly a rip-off of Maria-sama ga Miteru!!!

I'm tired from all that thinking - goodnight!