Ghost in the Shell Arise in 2013
January 15, 2013 7:27 PM Subscribe
Ghost in the Shell Arise 「攻殻機動隊ARISE」 (AnimeNewsNetwork) is the newest anime tv series based on Shirow Masmune's cyberpunk manga which debuted in 1989. The new GITS Arise TV show is produced by legendary Japanese anime studio Production I. G. which has produced all of the Ghost in the Shell animated movies and tv series.
Fans of Major Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9 have been eagerly awaiting news of new developments since 2006.
Fans of Major Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9 have been eagerly awaiting news of new developments since 2006.
just when I was wanting some cyber punk to watch. I am assuming it is ongoing thus meaning another thing I have to wait around for, eh?
posted by rebent at 7:57 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by rebent at 7:57 PM on January 15, 2013
OMG, there's a new one?! I've watched everything else Ghost in the Shell, and I've missed it. Now to figure out how I can watch it...
posted by limeonaire at 8:00 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by limeonaire at 8:00 PM on January 15, 2013
just when I was wanting some cyber punk to watch.
If you're hard-up for cyberpunk, IG's other dystopian 'secret police procedural' is still airing, and is pretty good.
posted by fifthrider at 8:00 PM on January 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
If you're hard-up for cyberpunk, IG's other dystopian 'secret police procedural' is still airing, and is pretty good.
posted by fifthrider at 8:00 PM on January 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
I know it's linked here, but can anyone give a short explanation of what Ghost in the Shell is all about? Although I like certain manga series quite a bit, I'm not much of an animation fan save for the usual Ghibli films, so I've never picked it up at the video store.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:02 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by KokuRyu at 8:02 PM on January 15, 2013
Ghost in the Shell is very simply a police procedural drama set in the future of Japan. But it's also very heavily influenced by Blade Runner and the question of what it means to be human.
posted by gen at 8:05 PM on January 15, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by gen at 8:05 PM on January 15, 2013 [7 favorites]
limeonaire: it's not out yet. Patience :)
posted by gen at 8:08 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by gen at 8:08 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
...set in the future of Japan.
...influenced by Blade Runner
...question of what it means to be human.
It's cyberpunk, in short.
Really, the first film is the cyberpunk anime, against which all others are judged, and from which countless films (especially The Matrix) borrow.
posted by fifthrider at 8:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
...influenced by Blade Runner
...question of what it means to be human.
It's cyberpunk, in short.
Really, the first film is the cyberpunk anime, against which all others are judged, and from which countless films (especially The Matrix) borrow.
posted by fifthrider at 8:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
pyscho pass will also be of interest to fans of gits
posted by Shit Parade at 8:10 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by Shit Parade at 8:10 PM on January 15, 2013
It's a bit more than a police procedural. Section 9 reports directly to the prime minister, and only one of it's members is 100% organic (Section 6 is regular metro police). And the Man Machine Interface manga is something else almost entirely.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:16 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Brocktoon at 8:16 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
No Yoko Kano. New sound for a new feel?
posted by charred husk at 8:23 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by charred husk at 8:23 PM on January 15, 2013
Because I like to stir the pot for no good reason, I will say that GitS is not cyberpunk even though it has a very cyberpunk style setting. I will leave most serious discussion on this question to the experts, but cyberpunk I think needs to have protagonists that are part of some marginal subculture or have a dubious relationship with the law. That's the "punk". These cops aren't like that at all.
Actually, this idea conflicts with what a lot of people consider to be their favorite cyberpunk stories, but it's my post so too bad.
posted by Winnemac at 8:25 PM on January 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
Actually, this idea conflicts with what a lot of people consider to be their favorite cyberpunk stories, but it's my post so too bad.
posted by Winnemac at 8:25 PM on January 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
[Cyberpunk] needs to have protagonists that are part of some marginal subculture or have a dubious relationship with the law.
Blame it on Masamune Shirow's Heinlein-esque hard-on for (benevolent?) totalitarianism. That said, I'd say there's a pretty strong argument to be made that the Puppet Master, as the deuteragonist of the first film, makes it qualify.
posted by fifthrider at 8:40 PM on January 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Blame it on Masamune Shirow's Heinlein-esque hard-on for (benevolent?) totalitarianism. That said, I'd say there's a pretty strong argument to be made that the Puppet Master, as the deuteragonist of the first film, makes it qualify.
posted by fifthrider at 8:40 PM on January 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
cyberpunk I think needs to have protagonists that are part of some marginal subculture or have a dubious relationship with the law. That's the "punk".
I don't want to argue with your definition of cyberpunk, because as far as I'm concerned, this is the only true cyberpunk...
But, personally, if I was forced to expand my definition of "cyberpunk," I would consider Ghost in the Shell to count for a couple of reasons. The trivial one is that some of the "bad guys" could be the punks, and the protagonists themselves, although law enforcers, also sometimes have a dubious relationship with the law.
The less trivial one is that the show itself has a dubious relationship with the law, by portraying it as troubled, internally conflicted, and ill-suited to address the questions that the society of GiTS is being forced to confront.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:51 PM on January 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
I don't want to argue with your definition of cyberpunk, because as far as I'm concerned, this is the only true cyberpunk...
But, personally, if I was forced to expand my definition of "cyberpunk," I would consider Ghost in the Shell to count for a couple of reasons. The trivial one is that some of the "bad guys" could be the punks, and the protagonists themselves, although law enforcers, also sometimes have a dubious relationship with the law.
The less trivial one is that the show itself has a dubious relationship with the law, by portraying it as troubled, internally conflicted, and ill-suited to address the questions that the society of GiTS is being forced to confront.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:51 PM on January 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Well, it's interesting; I feel like despite being a police force, Section 9 does have a dubious relationship with the law throughout much of the series, and is marginalized in some ways. I won't spoil the various series, but let's just say that Section 9 isn't always in governmental good graces. And as it turns out, in some ways, due to her origins, the Major has a lot in common with some of the "outcasts" Section 9 ends up going up against—a moral ambiguity that cuts to the heart of what the series is about, i.e., the nature of being human in an increasingly computerized society, when all that makes you human in a computerized "shell" is your "ghost."
I kind of find the original movie a little trite in its philosophy now (16-year-old me hadn't read nearly as much cyberpunk or seen any other anime), but it's still beautiful. And I do think it qualifies as cyberpunk.
posted by limeonaire at 8:51 PM on January 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
I kind of find the original movie a little trite in its philosophy now (16-year-old me hadn't read nearly as much cyberpunk or seen any other anime), but it's still beautiful. And I do think it qualifies as cyberpunk.
posted by limeonaire at 8:51 PM on January 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
Winnemac, GITS is usually considered 'post-cyberpunk', which is cyberpunk with institutionalised protagonists. Mind you, I'm not sure about the classification here, as many traditional cyberpunk stories have the protagonists acting as PIs or contracted for the police or military (Blade Runner for example).
posted by forgetful snow at 8:54 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by forgetful snow at 8:54 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have to agree that GITS is not quite cyberpunk, rather inhabiting some nebulous area between cyberpunk and transhumanism, with its themes of bridging the gap between humans and machines, and the question of what actually is human. And badly drawn porn in the case of the comic. Seriously, has Shirow never seen a real female breast?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this series, a long as it has more to do with the previous anime than the manga. GITS is too good a series for its creator.
posted by happyroach at 8:56 PM on January 15, 2013
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this series, a long as it has more to do with the previous anime than the manga. GITS is too good a series for its creator.
posted by happyroach at 8:56 PM on January 15, 2013
GitS is characteristic of post-cyberpunk.
On preview, what forgetful snow said. But I like the TV Tropes link much better than the wikipedia link. Also, I feel guilty bringing prefixes into an otherwise friendly conversation.
posted by tychotesla at 8:56 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
On preview, what forgetful snow said. But I like the TV Tropes link much better than the wikipedia link. Also, I feel guilty bringing prefixes into an otherwise friendly conversation.
posted by tychotesla at 8:56 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
have a dubious relationship with the law
There is a bit of inter-departmental bureaucratic bickering as the backdrop to some of the stories in the original manga, with Section 9 being wielded as a knife to cut through layers of red tape in the interests of expediently solving a problem.
And at one point, the Major finds herself on the wrong side of the law, to the point of taking hostages to avoid capture by the authorities, after the wrong person gets killed on a covert op.
posted by radwolf76 at 8:59 PM on January 15, 2013
There is a bit of inter-departmental bureaucratic bickering as the backdrop to some of the stories in the original manga, with Section 9 being wielded as a knife to cut through layers of red tape in the interests of expediently solving a problem.
And at one point, the Major finds herself on the wrong side of the law, to the point of taking hostages to avoid capture by the authorities, after the wrong person gets killed on a covert op.
posted by radwolf76 at 8:59 PM on January 15, 2013
There's also a heavy dose of spiritualism that doesn't seem to notch into any prescribed cyberpunk categorization. It's kind of like saying Final Fantasy is cyberpunk.
posted by Brocktoon at 9:02 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Brocktoon at 9:02 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
In answer to KokuRyu's question:
The Ghost in the Shell manga was, depending on the phase in Shirow's career, either a spunky and playful action movie of a comic in which full-body robotics allows the full range of punchy-shooty-hacky badassery, or a borderline-incoherent messianic T&A parade. Despite its often juvenile appearances, however, the manga was also filled with idle and enthusiastic speculation about transhumanism (both physical and digital), with heavy referencing of both Eastern and Western philosophy. This is "Shirow's GitS" and although everything springs from this fertile ground, what has come since differs considerably in tone.
The first film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, takes a handful of the more profound questions from the manga and, instead of treating them like stimulating toys, it instead treats them like Serious Business. This was no mere movie, this was to be a Film, taking on Big Ideas and soberly considering their implications while simultaneously aiming to achieve moments of great visual elegance. When Oshii returned to the franchise nine years later to release Innocence, it was clear that this was still his MO. Thus, although neither film introduces too many ideas beyond those proposed by Shirow, "Oshii's GitS" makes these ideas the central purpose of the work, rather than one of a number of sideshow amusements for literate smartasses.
The Stand Alone Complex TV series lie somewhere in the middle. The brainchild of Kenji Kamiyama, they are (as gen points out) procedural in nature, particularly during the mid-season. While the show never achieves the whip-smart inventiveness of the manga or the intense artistic purity of the films, it does begin to introduce new ideas, some of which are quite compelling. Because each episode plays with only one or two ideas, at a relatively slow pace, some people I know find the show too dull to watch. For my part, since I have a long-running history with these characters, and find the new ideas to be compelling, have enjoyed the show, but "Kamiyama's GitS" is the least luminous of the three stars in this constellation.
Hope that helps!
posted by belarius at 9:02 PM on January 15, 2013 [32 favorites]
The Ghost in the Shell manga was, depending on the phase in Shirow's career, either a spunky and playful action movie of a comic in which full-body robotics allows the full range of punchy-shooty-hacky badassery, or a borderline-incoherent messianic T&A parade. Despite its often juvenile appearances, however, the manga was also filled with idle and enthusiastic speculation about transhumanism (both physical and digital), with heavy referencing of both Eastern and Western philosophy. This is "Shirow's GitS" and although everything springs from this fertile ground, what has come since differs considerably in tone.
The first film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, takes a handful of the more profound questions from the manga and, instead of treating them like stimulating toys, it instead treats them like Serious Business. This was no mere movie, this was to be a Film, taking on Big Ideas and soberly considering their implications while simultaneously aiming to achieve moments of great visual elegance. When Oshii returned to the franchise nine years later to release Innocence, it was clear that this was still his MO. Thus, although neither film introduces too many ideas beyond those proposed by Shirow, "Oshii's GitS" makes these ideas the central purpose of the work, rather than one of a number of sideshow amusements for literate smartasses.
The Stand Alone Complex TV series lie somewhere in the middle. The brainchild of Kenji Kamiyama, they are (as gen points out) procedural in nature, particularly during the mid-season. While the show never achieves the whip-smart inventiveness of the manga or the intense artistic purity of the films, it does begin to introduce new ideas, some of which are quite compelling. Because each episode plays with only one or two ideas, at a relatively slow pace, some people I know find the show too dull to watch. For my part, since I have a long-running history with these characters, and find the new ideas to be compelling, have enjoyed the show, but "Kamiyama's GitS" is the least luminous of the three stars in this constellation.
Hope that helps!
posted by belarius at 9:02 PM on January 15, 2013 [32 favorites]
No analysis here, just "Yippeeee"!
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 9:13 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 9:13 PM on January 15, 2013
tychotesla, I didn't link to TVTropes because I am human and therefore feel mercy. You are clearly a cyborg intent on distracting humanity while destroying them, and therefore you must be eradicated.
posted by forgetful snow at 9:29 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by forgetful snow at 9:29 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Can we all agree that Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence never happened?
posted by moorooka at 10:32 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by moorooka at 10:32 PM on January 15, 2013
What do you mean? You can keep rewatching Innocence over and over with different, but "correct", translations and it will be a new movie every time.
Re: the manga I pulled it out a month or so ago and realized that for some reason I never noticed the ridiculous amount of crotch shots.
I liked the other series and look forward to this, thanks.
posted by P.o.B. at 10:50 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Re: the manga I pulled it out a month or so ago and realized that for some reason I never noticed the ridiculous amount of crotch shots.
I liked the other series and look forward to this, thanks.
posted by P.o.B. at 10:50 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Really, the first film is the cyberpunk anime
No, that's Akira.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:53 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
No, that's Akira.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:53 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Great news!
They redesigned the characters and Kenji Kamiyama won't direct this version. I hope they keep the same voice actress for Motoko.
posted by clearlydemon at 11:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
They redesigned the characters and Kenji Kamiyama won't direct this version. I hope they keep the same voice actress for Motoko.
posted by clearlydemon at 11:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
What's wrong with Innocence? I freakin' love it. So no, definitely can't agree.
posted by Brocktoon at 11:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Brocktoon at 11:10 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well... maybe on its own, Innocence could be okay. but compared to the awesome masterpiece that was the original, it just left me cold - plot, characters, music, animation (especially the awkward 3d elements). Über-disappointment after such anticipation. I'd like it to be erased and redone, neon-genesis finale style.
posted by moorooka at 11:40 PM on January 15, 2013
posted by moorooka at 11:40 PM on January 15, 2013
"I’ve said it before on here but it kills me to see Shirow’s best work handed off to be redone by other dudes.
But you know, I’m sure he’s busy doing something importa–"
Brandon Graham regarding the new Appleseed Manga and Orion movie (nsfw)
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:04 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
But you know, I’m sure he’s busy doing something importa–"
Brandon Graham regarding the new Appleseed Manga and Orion movie (nsfw)
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:04 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Although I like certain manga series quite a bit, I'm not much of an animation fan save for the usual Ghibli films, so I've never picked it up at the video store.
Dig up Cowboy Bebop and Haibane Renmei when you have a chance. Both are unique and rewarding stories.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:09 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Dig up Cowboy Bebop and Haibane Renmei when you have a chance. Both are unique and rewarding stories.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:09 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
While the show never achieves the whip-smart inventiveness of the manga or the intense artistic purity of the films
I disagree. If anything, I thought the show was smarter than the original movie and manga. Stand Alone Complex and Appleseed both examined how this sort of technology would really play out in a real-world situation. SAC is almost never exaggerated in any way, which makes it practically the only anime I can watch these days. I watched the first episode of Psycho-Pass after seeing it recommended here, and was massively disappointed by the number of tropes on display.
Meanwhile, probably half the episodes of SAC introduce or explore elements that one could easily have a whole panel talk for hours on. In fact, that's practically what they did with the "Tachikoma Specials," in which the AIs would just chat about ridiculous futurist topics.
The manga and movies are about the frontier between man and machine, which I found interesting but ultimately sort of mystical and unengaging. The basic theme of both SAC series, though, is the creation of "copies without an original," in other words directing emergent behavior. This is a richer and more mature topic, and it handles it with... well, richness and maturity. I recently rewatched the whole thing and was shocked at how well it did pretty much everything.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:10 AM on January 16, 2013 [9 favorites]
I disagree. If anything, I thought the show was smarter than the original movie and manga. Stand Alone Complex and Appleseed both examined how this sort of technology would really play out in a real-world situation. SAC is almost never exaggerated in any way, which makes it practically the only anime I can watch these days. I watched the first episode of Psycho-Pass after seeing it recommended here, and was massively disappointed by the number of tropes on display.
Meanwhile, probably half the episodes of SAC introduce or explore elements that one could easily have a whole panel talk for hours on. In fact, that's practically what they did with the "Tachikoma Specials," in which the AIs would just chat about ridiculous futurist topics.
The manga and movies are about the frontier between man and machine, which I found interesting but ultimately sort of mystical and unengaging. The basic theme of both SAC series, though, is the creation of "copies without an original," in other words directing emergent behavior. This is a richer and more mature topic, and it handles it with... well, richness and maturity. I recently rewatched the whole thing and was shocked at how well it did pretty much everything.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:10 AM on January 16, 2013 [9 favorites]
I too am more of a fan of the SAC tv series than I am of the movies, and I love the movies a lot. I agree with a lot of what BlackLeotardFront wrote. I just liked how the SAC series was able to flesh out the characters with time that the movies were not able to.
That, and the action scenes in the SAC series were better :)
posted by gen at 12:14 AM on January 16, 2013
That, and the action scenes in the SAC series were better :)
posted by gen at 12:14 AM on January 16, 2013
that's practically what they did with the "Tachikoma Specials," in which the AIs would just chat about ridiculous futurist topics.
a sample of which can be seen here.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 12:28 AM on January 16, 2013
a sample of which can be seen here.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 12:28 AM on January 16, 2013
I'm reminded to give the anime and manga Real Drive a try.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:37 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:37 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
If anything, I thought the show was smarter than the original movie and manga.
It's largely a matter of taste. The comics of Shirow's heyday (GitS, late Appleseed, Orion) are deceptively sophisticated, as is evidenced by Oshii's ability to take a few dozen pages of comic and make two critically-acclaimed features out of them. It's also the case the Stand Alone Complex has to walk a budget tightrope with respect to its animation and its need to fill out a full season, which impacts its pacing.
Without question, SAC is smart, and it expands into topics unexplored by Shirow, which is its biggest contribution to the franchise. But it isn't quite the dense sketchbook of a brilliant eccentric doing whatever he wanted and refusing to take himself seriously quite the way the manga was.
posted by belarius at 12:50 AM on January 16, 2013
It's largely a matter of taste. The comics of Shirow's heyday (GitS, late Appleseed, Orion) are deceptively sophisticated, as is evidenced by Oshii's ability to take a few dozen pages of comic and make two critically-acclaimed features out of them. It's also the case the Stand Alone Complex has to walk a budget tightrope with respect to its animation and its need to fill out a full season, which impacts its pacing.
Without question, SAC is smart, and it expands into topics unexplored by Shirow, which is its biggest contribution to the franchise. But it isn't quite the dense sketchbook of a brilliant eccentric doing whatever he wanted and refusing to take himself seriously quite the way the manga was.
posted by belarius at 12:50 AM on January 16, 2013
And badly drawn porn in the case of the comic. Seriously, has Shirow never seen a real female breast?
I'm pretty sure the bodies are deliberately unrealistic. They aren't 'natural' bodies, after all, but crafted ones. It's commonly thought among GitS fans in Japan that the Major, shown in many lesbian sex-scenes in the comics, was originally a man / has or had a male psyche, hence the sex that she engages in is reflective of stereotypical male-centric fantasies of lesbian sex. So yeah, the way that the series examines concepts of identity is not limited to Cartesian meditations, but also touches upon sexuality and sexual identity.
posted by jet_manifesto at 1:05 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure the bodies are deliberately unrealistic. They aren't 'natural' bodies, after all, but crafted ones. It's commonly thought among GitS fans in Japan that the Major, shown in many lesbian sex-scenes in the comics, was originally a man / has or had a male psyche, hence the sex that she engages in is reflective of stereotypical male-centric fantasies of lesbian sex. So yeah, the way that the series examines concepts of identity is not limited to Cartesian meditations, but also touches upon sexuality and sexual identity.
posted by jet_manifesto at 1:05 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
But it isn't quite the dense sketchbook of a brilliant eccentric doing whatever he wanted and refusing to take himself seriously quite the way the manga was.
I get your point. But try reading the GitS 2 manga - it's a hyperkinetic, big idea and unreadable mess. Shirew should have dumped a lot of the techocomplexity into footnotes, or had Kiyohiko Azuma do the dialog, or something.
Fun Fact: the director of Stand Alone Complex based Batou's character on Henry Goldblume from Hill Street Blues!
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:15 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I get your point. But try reading the GitS 2 manga - it's a hyperkinetic, big idea and unreadable mess. Shirew should have dumped a lot of the techocomplexity into footnotes, or had Kiyohiko Azuma do the dialog, or something.
Fun Fact: the director of Stand Alone Complex based Batou's character on Henry Goldblume from Hill Street Blues!
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:15 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Speak of the devil. I was thinking of this series the other day.
posted by aroweofshale at 1:17 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by aroweofshale at 1:17 AM on January 16, 2013
hence the sex that she engages in is reflective of stereotypical male-centric fantasies of lesbian sex
Shirow is a subtle, subtle man.
It's commonly thought among GitS fans in Japan that the Major, shown in many lesbian sex-scenes in the comics, was originally a man
But one reason she gives in SAC for not moving to a male frame is the women's watch she wears and has had since forever.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:19 AM on January 16, 2013
Shirow is a subtle, subtle man.
It's commonly thought among GitS fans in Japan that the Major, shown in many lesbian sex-scenes in the comics, was originally a man
But one reason she gives in SAC for not moving to a male frame is the women's watch she wears and has had since forever.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:19 AM on January 16, 2013
Wait... did they... YES! She finally has pants! Not that a robot needed pants but that part of SAC made me cringe
posted by Slackermagee at 1:54 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by Slackermagee at 1:54 AM on January 16, 2013
But one reason she gives in SAC for not moving to a male frame is the women's watch she wears and has had since forever.
I'd say that while our Major is iconographic, her backstory between mediums probably differs to a degree. It's hard for me to imagine the Major of the films is the same person as her manga counterpart, based on attitude alone. SAC walks somewhere between the two but the Major of this medium, too, feels like a different individual.
posted by aroweofshale at 2:51 AM on January 16, 2013
I'd say that while our Major is iconographic, her backstory between mediums probably differs to a degree. It's hard for me to imagine the Major of the films is the same person as her manga counterpart, based on attitude alone. SAC walks somewhere between the two but the Major of this medium, too, feels like a different individual.
posted by aroweofshale at 2:51 AM on January 16, 2013
I really enjoyed SAC, and so when I heard Production IG were making a Mass Effect animated film I thought it would be great. Sadly the animation was so low-budget (like really stuttery in that cheap, absolute minimum number of frames way) that I gave up after literally three minutes. Then I watched Starship Troopers: Invasion instead, which was surprisingly awesome (both in terms of how good the CGI looked and how it was a simple, fun action film in the vein of the original film (although without the fascist parody element)). That's how the Mass Effect film should have looked.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:12 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:12 AM on January 16, 2013
I read (and mostly enjoyed) Appleseed when it was reprinted in North America in the '90s, but I did wonder why one issue consisted almost entirely of two of the heroines having a conversation in the shower.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:30 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:30 AM on January 16, 2013
Not that a robot needed pants
Wait, wait, wait...you can't just dismiss the most profound question in futurism with a cheap aside like that.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 3:39 AM on January 16, 2013
Wait, wait, wait...you can't just dismiss the most profound question in futurism with a cheap aside like that.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 3:39 AM on January 16, 2013
I did wonder why one issue consisted almost entirely of two of the heroines having a conversation in the shower.
That would be fan service...
posted by gen at 3:49 AM on January 16, 2013
That would be fan service...
posted by gen at 3:49 AM on January 16, 2013
Lovin' this cyberpunk resurgence: Netrunner's back in print, Cyberpunk 2077 videogame on the horizon, and now new Ghost in the Shell. Music by Cornelius is just the cherry on top! Somebody call Douglas Rushkoff, he oughta be able to milk this for a Cyberia 2.0.
posted by word_virus at 5:21 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by word_virus at 5:21 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I thought the way they did the Motoko char design reveal on the main 「攻殻機動隊ARISE」 link was cool.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 5:41 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 5:41 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Really, the first film is the cyberpunk anime
No, that's Akira.
Noooo....Akira isn't cyberpunk at all. It's post-apocalyptic, but it has a lot more to do with monsters, the government, society, and the nature of being human than anything at all "cyber."
posted by limeonaire at 6:02 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
No, that's Akira.
Noooo....Akira isn't cyberpunk at all. It's post-apocalyptic, but it has a lot more to do with monsters, the government, society, and the nature of being human than anything at all "cyber."
posted by limeonaire at 6:02 AM on January 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
What with the name "Arise" and the younger looking Motoko I can't help but think this will be some sort of story about Motoko pre-military service. If we take GitS:SAC to be canon (not a safe assumption) we know some about Motoko's early life and how she came to be in a cybernetic body, and we know she served in the JSDF once she (presumably) was old enough.
I bet teenage Motoko was a real ball of cybernetically-augmented fire. Maybe this is the time period where she gained her skills in hacking and prosthetic body operations. I would think there's no actual Section 9 but maybe there's an equivalent organization that precocious independent teenage genius hacker Motoko runs into in some of her dives, clashes with, and ultimately comes to respect, setting the stage for what she wants to do with her life. Maybe we'd see no other of the established GitS characters other than Kuze and maybe Arimaki? All the others would be off being young doing their own development. I don't really see a "Section 9 Babies" show a la Muppet Babies as making much sense.
Shirow, baby, call me.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 7:10 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I bet teenage Motoko was a real ball of cybernetically-augmented fire. Maybe this is the time period where she gained her skills in hacking and prosthetic body operations. I would think there's no actual Section 9 but maybe there's an equivalent organization that precocious independent teenage genius hacker Motoko runs into in some of her dives, clashes with, and ultimately comes to respect, setting the stage for what she wants to do with her life. Maybe we'd see no other of the established GitS characters other than Kuze and maybe Arimaki? All the others would be off being young doing their own development. I don't really see a "Section 9 Babies" show a la Muppet Babies as making much sense.
Shirow, baby, call me.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 7:10 AM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I am mixed on the redesign, but excited none the less at the prospect of more Ghost in the Shell.
posted by Atreides at 7:16 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by Atreides at 7:16 AM on January 16, 2013
We'll find out more in February I suppose, but it seems plausible within the scenario I just outlined.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 7:17 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 7:17 AM on January 16, 2013
Btw, if anybody is interested in what Masamune is doing these days - don't be. Googling Galgrease will not help. You have been warned.
posted by P.o.B. at 7:20 AM on January 16, 2013
posted by P.o.B. at 7:20 AM on January 16, 2013
About the "punkiness" and "fringiness" of Section 9:
They kind of are margianalized, particularly from our perspective. The Major is pretty gay, maybe transgender in some interpretations, and there's not really a comment about whether that's more or less acceptable in the show's world. Even if the future is a GLBT utopia, these are still taboo issues for us to look at; she's automatically an outcast for us to identify with. Togusa's weird just for being merely human. Batou has a pretty shadowy past. He's someone I can see turning up in Gibson's underworld (being basically just a male Molly doesn't hurt). Ishikawa is a hacker working for the cops more than a cop who can hack. There's a sense that he'd be just as happy working against the law, if it proved more interesting.
There's the whole second series, too, where Section 9 are basically the villains for most of the main story arc and the Big Bad Criminal is a socialist, populist lower class/immigrant hero to everyone but the cops. Not to mention the good intentions of the antagonist in the first series. I like the stories in this series because the lines between class, power and intention are a bit fuzzier than a lot of cyberpunk.
I think the cyberpunk/post-cyberpunk distinction is a bit silly. The aesthetic is what defines the genre for me, so as long as I have my neon lights at night, seedy smoky alleys and rain slick streets, I'm happy.
Can we all agree that Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence never happened?
No! God no. My love for Oshii films > my enjoyment of GiTS as a franchise. Oshii may very well be my favorite director. The best way to watch that movie is as a stand alone (um) Oshii film called Innocence, rather than as the cinematic sequel to this really popular anime franchise.
posted by byanyothername at 12:24 PM on January 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
They kind of are margianalized, particularly from our perspective. The Major is pretty gay, maybe transgender in some interpretations, and there's not really a comment about whether that's more or less acceptable in the show's world. Even if the future is a GLBT utopia, these are still taboo issues for us to look at; she's automatically an outcast for us to identify with. Togusa's weird just for being merely human. Batou has a pretty shadowy past. He's someone I can see turning up in Gibson's underworld (being basically just a male Molly doesn't hurt). Ishikawa is a hacker working for the cops more than a cop who can hack. There's a sense that he'd be just as happy working against the law, if it proved more interesting.
There's the whole second series, too, where Section 9 are basically the villains for most of the main story arc and the Big Bad Criminal is a socialist, populist lower class/immigrant hero to everyone but the cops. Not to mention the good intentions of the antagonist in the first series. I like the stories in this series because the lines between class, power and intention are a bit fuzzier than a lot of cyberpunk.
I think the cyberpunk/post-cyberpunk distinction is a bit silly. The aesthetic is what defines the genre for me, so as long as I have my neon lights at night, seedy smoky alleys and rain slick streets, I'm happy.
Can we all agree that Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence never happened?
No! God no. My love for Oshii films > my enjoyment of GiTS as a franchise. Oshii may very well be my favorite director. The best way to watch that movie is as a stand alone (um) Oshii film called Innocence, rather than as the cinematic sequel to this really popular anime franchise.
posted by byanyothername at 12:24 PM on January 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
What's up with the hatred for Innocence? It's great! A noir take on the universe, beautifully composed. The opening credits alone are worth the price of admission.
Because I love the show, I can't resist giving my take on it, for KokuRyu:
The TV series is, in my opinion, where it's at. The first manga series is fun, and the movies are okay (I think the first one is more important influentially-speaking than it is good.) The manga, films and "Stand-Alone Complex" series are all like parallel universe versions of each other; you don't need to be versed in any of them to enjoy any other.
What's dumb and off-putting about is this: fan service. The protagonist has insane proportions and clothing, and the camera is always positioned just so. It's grating, in my opinion, because it puts a sheen of stupidity on what is actually probably the most intelligent show I've ever seen, and so as a fan I have to try and get people to see past that. It's a nuisance.
What's great about the show is that it's sci-fi in the best sense: it imagines changes to our world and then explores the consequences of those changes, often with a heavy philosophical bend. What would it be like if we could swap bodies? What would happen if we could duplicate a person? etc.
Then it layers these questions and themes through two season-long arcs that themselves are terrific pieces of drama, each with magnificent climaxes and some really interesting characters.
So: try the first season of Stand-Alone Complex, and you must watch it in order. If you're at all like me, you'll wish they would tone down some of the idiocy surrounding the Major. But if you stick with it, underneath the silliness is some really engaging stuff.
As for this announcement, I'm delighted they've announced something new, and deeply concerned that Kenji Kamiyawa, of the first two seasons, isn't involved. I assume that a lot of the brilliance of the show was his - I hope I'm proven wrong.
posted by neuromodulator at 3:43 PM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Because I love the show, I can't resist giving my take on it, for KokuRyu:
The TV series is, in my opinion, where it's at. The first manga series is fun, and the movies are okay (I think the first one is more important influentially-speaking than it is good.) The manga, films and "Stand-Alone Complex" series are all like parallel universe versions of each other; you don't need to be versed in any of them to enjoy any other.
What's dumb and off-putting about is this: fan service. The protagonist has insane proportions and clothing, and the camera is always positioned just so. It's grating, in my opinion, because it puts a sheen of stupidity on what is actually probably the most intelligent show I've ever seen, and so as a fan I have to try and get people to see past that. It's a nuisance.
What's great about the show is that it's sci-fi in the best sense: it imagines changes to our world and then explores the consequences of those changes, often with a heavy philosophical bend. What would it be like if we could swap bodies? What would happen if we could duplicate a person? etc.
Then it layers these questions and themes through two season-long arcs that themselves are terrific pieces of drama, each with magnificent climaxes and some really interesting characters.
So: try the first season of Stand-Alone Complex, and you must watch it in order. If you're at all like me, you'll wish they would tone down some of the idiocy surrounding the Major. But if you stick with it, underneath the silliness is some really engaging stuff.
As for this announcement, I'm delighted they've announced something new, and deeply concerned that Kenji Kamiyawa, of the first two seasons, isn't involved. I assume that a lot of the brilliance of the show was his - I hope I'm proven wrong.
posted by neuromodulator at 3:43 PM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, I wanted to add one thing, from a conversation I was having with a philosophy prof about the show not too long ago: it assumes the viewer is smart in a way very few shows do. It throws information at you.
posted by neuromodulator at 3:45 PM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by neuromodulator at 3:45 PM on January 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
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posted by gen at 7:38 PM on January 15, 2013 [8 favorites]