Ghost in the Shell Arise: Border 1 - Ghost Pain (2013) Reviews

• Major? I Hardly Recognize You!

  mzgothicgamrgrrrl2014-11-09

  I live and breathe Ghost in the Shell. Cliché expression I know, but I've no other way to explain my fascination with both the Manga and the Anime adaptations. So naturally, at the mention of a new franchise,a prequel no less, I leaped at the opportunity to see it, only to reel backwards at the result. Now, don't get me wrong. For a TV series, the animation is beyond fantastic, and the colors especially are very well detailed. The use of darkness, alongside the foreboding shadowy atmosphere works really well at developing an alternate flavor to the preexisting franchise. The action scenes are very entertaining, and the accompanying musical score really helps to set the mood, settling you into a time of adept digital technology. The vulnerability we witness in heroine, Major Motoko Kusangi, is something we have not encountered before, and really helps in not only sympathizing with her character, but in realizing that she is a younger, less powerful individual than we have previously encountered. Despite this, she continues to display the same level of determination, authority and compassion we have previously had the pleasure of viewing. Although I questioned why Motoko was not of a lesser rank during this feature (in Shirow Masamune's original manga, Ghost in the Shell, it was mentioned she was once a Lieutenant), this question was made irrelevant by the sheer lengths Motoko was willing to go to find the truth about what happened to her superior, Lieutenant Colonel Mamuro, which brilliantly convinces us how much this man meant to her. The inclusion of the Logicoma (the younger version of the Tachikoma) is additionally fun to watch, although our four legged friend perhaps deserved some further screen time, which is certainly made up for during the sequel, Ghost Whispers. Furthermore, the story is filled with a great depth of intrigue that is fabulously built up, in which the creators feed us only slips of information as we attempt to solve the puzzle, having to wait until the final moments to successfully unravel the truth. There is perhaps more of the story that could have been fleshed out, and additional background provided to characters, with Motoko been the primary focus of this episode, however this is not the reason behind why I felt disappointment with this feature. Despite the addendum that Motoko looks nothing like she has formerly, with a completely different hairdo, physique, outfit and voice, this I was willing to overlook in order to simply enjoy the episode. Ghost Pain explores the back-story of not only Section 9, and how it began to be formed, but how the Major came to become fully cyborg. This endeavor is quite ambitious, and would have worked perfectly, if the feature had not decided to reinvent everything. During Masamune's manga, Ghost in the Shell 2 Man-Machine Interface, Motoko reveals she underwent the procedure to become completely cyborg when she was just a child. In the first season of Stand Alone Complex (SAC), Kenji Kamiyama reveals the Major was 6 years of age when she experienced the surgery that transformed her into a cyborg, which is further detailed in SAC 2nd Gig, where the audience discovers Motoko suffered a massive ordeal, her human body been irreparably damaged, therefore requiring her mind to be transferred to that of a cyborg replacement. Moreover, the back-story regarding how Paz joined Section 9 (which was explored during SAC 2nd Gig) is also changed. Long story short, none of these are taken into account, this prequel subsequently telling a completely different and contradictory storyline, that long time fans of the series might have difficulty digesting. If this is not enough, during the special features, located on the Ghost Whispers disc (the sequel to Ghost Pain), the director of both episodes notes how he has forgotten if Motoko's back-story was developed during SAC. If the man directing the project apparently hasn't done his research, and the same can probably be said for the writers, hence the lacking connection between this series and the previous, how are we, the audience, supposed to trust these developers with the continuation of a much loved franchise? As a stand alone feature, Ghost Pain is an interesting edition to the series. When in contrast with what has come before, I personally think the creators should have done their homework. In watching the feature, it is obvious one of the driving influences was to reveal Motoko's humanity, a factor that could have been equally attempted if the writers had taken the time to view what had come before. If those at the helm of the project are willing to create a show that changes all that we have learned about Motoko's background, should we be willing to participate?

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• Beautiful re-imagining of a wonderful franchise

  winzentween2013-09-14

  This was excellent (you can now leave to watch it)....and as a huge fan of the anime (not the manga) I loved it. I have all the other episodes and films and TV films and redux etc. and I love them all for being different but the same, well this is the same, but different. It looks awesome (real sweet)and has signature cool GITS gadgets and crazy spy plots and Jap. madness and some awesome fight scenes with robot brilliance. Obviously watch in Japanese with Eng. subs if possible. As soon as I had watch it wanted the next instalment (Nov 2013). Seriously anyone who moans about this (and there are many) because it looks a little different and has a few plot differences is an idiot, as the manga is very VERY difference to all the anime and eventually the comic became 'hentai'(arty porn) so be pleased with what we have here and what we have is excellent! The major is particularly cool and though slightly different than her past incarnations she is still her own woman / android and it is super cool how the team comes together and emotionally binds. My only issue is the story is a little convoluted and confusing at times but so was the 2ng Gig and especially GITS2 at times due to language and cultural issues as well as poor writing. Also if you love the films and the previous TV shows then you might have to 'readjust' but the new back stories and the shifted focus really make ARISE its own animal and by the end you simply don't care and just want to see hot robots kill each other! (and other stuff). Also good news....you do not need to know anything about the franchise or the films or manga or animes etc. as it stands on its own two synthetic feet. Go get the bluray version now and you will not be sorry. "What we have here is a failure to communicate", Captain

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• Ghost Pain and Ghost Whispers

  politic19832014-05-19

  Prequels are usually pointless, telling story lines that we already know and cashing-in on the popularity of previous films. If you look at it from this perspective, which I am, prequels are often lazy attempts to milk that cash cow dry! Any new GITS (haha, gits) variation, therefore, is always going to be compared to what came before it - supposedly what comes after it. The original films by Mamoru Oshii are standards by which a lot of anime is set, complemented by the two strong 'GITS: Stand Alone Complex' series by Kenji Kamiyama. So, as I've stated I'm going to do this, I will compare the new incarnations to the previous works, because I'm like that. To start, the look of the animation and character design is very much more aligned with the 'Stand Alone Complex' TV series and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The lead characters have obviously been designed to look younger, with the greatest age difference seeming to come in Major Kusunagi's character, looking more like an obnoxious schoolgirl than anything. Secondly: the sound. Whether the previous films or TV series, the music has always been strong in 'Ghost in the Shell', but here it is altogether more bizarre. 'Stand Alone Complex' had good music, but was a big step down from Kenji Kawai's original soundtracks. And the 'GITS: Arise' offerings are a further step down. The opening credits are what sounds like the result of a fan staying up all night on their computer with some completely non-descript pieces throughout. With the opening credits, immediately you feel that this is not going to be as good as what came before. Lastly, the story lines: With both 'Border 1: Ghost Pain' and 'Border 2: Ghost Whispers', the story lines are quite political and quite uninteresting. Neither particularly grabs the attention and can lead to moments of distraction along the way. Perhaps the problem is the duration of these prequels. At around fifty minutes each, they do not offer the ability to delve as deep as the films, nor offer bite-size story lines in a more grand arc, like 'Stand Alone Complex'. For me, this is probably the key failing. Oshii's films were visual feasts, offering moments of reflection and philosophy in between lavish pieces of animation, getting into the psychology of its characters. The two TV series also developed interesting story lines over their twenty- six episodes. Depth and detail are what made 'Ghost in the Shell' so interesting. 'Arise' just seems to lack this a little. All-in-all, the 'Arise' series of prequels just doesn't create enough interest, other than being a new take on a well-established franchise. They will always be compared to what came before them: it will always happen. One can only hope the next instalment, 'Ghost Tears' will offer something more. But currently, they feel little more than a couple of 'GITS: SAC' episodes - and not particularly your favourites - that don't do quite enough to stand alone. politic1983.blogspot.co.uk

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• what the crap apple jacks

  jacksondanny0202014-06-08

  This was some bull crap. This movie was almost nothing like the original ghost in the shell. For what ever reason there is an unexplained conflict between two characters that is in no way explained what so ever.this was so bland that I found my self falling asleep. The entire plot is freaking confusing. I don't even why some of the stuff in the film is happening. There is so many freaking cliff hanger that I lost count. This was a very poor attempt to revive ghost in the shell. Watch this crap if your curious. The animation was new but the constant cameos of Microsoft tablets were annoying considering this is a Prequel and that the original ghost in the shell did not have smartphones or tablets because during that era, they did not exist

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• Fan-bleeding-tastic!!!!

  dodoublebs2013-07-21

  OK so I have been waiting for some new GITS for a looong time, and I finally had a chance to check it out. Although I usually enjoy my GITS dubbed, I found the sub superbly done and have no doubt the dub will be right up my alley when it is finally released. The animation was top notch as well. When I first saw the previews I did not particularly appreciate what they had done with the major; that said however, I actually ended up liking her character look a lot more when I finally saw the complete episode. Bauto, tougusa, pazu, and aramaki all look pretty much the way we have known them throughout. Back to the animation... It was beautiful! The fight scenes were crisp and very dynamic. Although I must say that occasionally I did feel that the main characters did not have enough detail in the faces, but this was more in scenes while walking or a "non-close-up" part. Now why I gave this ep an 8... Pros: animation was absolutely astonishing, and I came to appreciate the changes to certain characters. I loved the story line with the major because of the internal struggle she has to deal with and because I liked seeing this side of her personality. In SAC we got to see glimpses of the majors more human side, but most of the time it was all business. In this ep we see the major as more of a human and how she reacts to personal issues or her coping mechanisms with personal dilemmas. I really connected with the major on a more personal level than a sexy, gun-toting, ass kicking, cybernetic bad ass that we all know and love from SAC. To me she seemed more human in this series so far... I guess is what I'm getting at. Cons: one of my favorite aspects of SAC was the soundtrack, hell I'd try and sing along to openers/closers (not very well mind you lol). But in this ep there was nothing that really hooked me and to be honest I felt closing credits was the most boring song ever to end such a exciting show. The only other issue (which is really the reason I deducted two points from my rating) I had with the ep was the conclusion to the over arching story line. I know maybe I've been too spoiled with the super intellectual and exciting endings in SAC, but this one just made me ready to move on the next ep with glimpses of what is to come. So in conclusion watch this show however you can because it will not disappoint, even with my few cons this show is prime time and I loved it. Cannot wait to see episode 2!

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