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Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

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201–210 of 236 posts

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#201
post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a fan of most of Oshii's work, and Angel's Egg is a particular favourite, but it's not hard to see why it's rarely recommended. The film has very little narrative and it leans heavily on visual symbolism.

The best way to sell Angel's Egg to the people predisposed to seeking out anime is to mention its influence on Dark Souls 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9wSol7JdG0

Mentioning that Yoshitaka Amano worked on it might also be a draw for some people.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#202
post #2

Ghost In The Shell suffers from really dragging in the middle. There's a bunch a bunch of sequences which go on just way too long for the total amount of plot in the film, and there's a lot of missing context for the main character's motivation: we just kind of get a couple big exposition dumps, but no real feel for who the Major is or why the core conceit of the plot matters to her. The Stand Alone Complex series, c…

I kind of like that we’re thrown headfirst into this world without a ton of exposition around motivations and whatnot. It feels _a lot_ like Blade Runner that way (my favorite film) — sort of confounding and urgent. And you’re teased with these glances and sprinkles of a very intriguing world.

All of this is to say I think the movie is just fantastic and I regularly find new things to love about it on each rewatch.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#203
post #185

GITS is amazing as a design universe. The more you dig into the manga or movies (even the SACs) the deeper you get sucked in to what could be. From the vision of mind interfaces to the dream of mind across the net. It was WAY ahead of it's time and still stands up today. Every crevasse of the original Manga contains deep thought out design on what digital life could become. What constructs we become once we crossed t…

The SAC series were also intensely thoughtful and well-written, with softly stated political intrigue and philosophical musing that somehow doesn't ever devolve into navel gazing. Really a must watch anime series if you like anime or even just sci fi at all.

I saw a member of the SAC team speak at a con. The big point was that the team were all big fans of American cop dramas. So, they set out to make a cop drama that happened to feature cyborgs instead of the other way around.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#204

Feels weird not finding the name of Masamune Shirow even once in the article (or the comments here, at least the last time I checked)

He's mentioned in the comments there.

Ah! I was searching but didn't see the comments as they open in a different page, at least on mobile. Thanks!

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#205
post #4

I feel like I haven't seen an anime in years that's been in the same league as Akira or the great Miyazakis (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Totoro). Yes i'd be brutal and include Miyazakis following works in that list, from Howls Moving Castle to The Boy and the Heron. Ive seen lots of incredible animation, sure, but nothing like the cinematic depth. What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convin…

>What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convinced things were better in the old days put myself infront of?

I think no reply are really getting at this question.

If you consider the two latter Miyazaki movies not being included, I think "greats" to you must be something that is "very unique and distinct from the western (animated) movie but also distinct enough from its own (anime) peers".

If you see it that is way, Howl's was not distinct at all (based on a UK book & doing what worked in spirited away) and boy and the heron (essentially reusing expressions from all the works of Miyazaki).

I think you're just looking for that "wow" factor again. Something that put your mind at edge because your brain couldn't predict what will happen next, because they don't follow usual (selling) clichés in story telling or cinematography.

I don't think many anime of today really have that. The only one I can think of is the original Evangelion but that's quite old now too. Maybe Attack of Titan, Pluto, but that's a bit subjective.

I can think of multiple Mangas that would fall in to that. Mangas allow more artistic freedom because it's made by a smaller team, and requires smaller fan base so can be bold in trying new expressions. But might lose its charm when (if) adapted to animation. Ghost in the shell mentioned in the original post too, is Very different from the Manga. (source material) and to people that really got intrigued by the deeper theme about consciousness they might prefer the Manga more.

I haven't watched it myself but maybe the recent adaptation of Junji Itos horror might fall under that "wow" category. His style (in writing) is very unique.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Orbital Children is a literal sequel to Dennou Coil. But I’m sure you’re aware of this. :)

Ahhh cool. Didn't actually remember that, though I had a faint feeling they were related. :)

It isn't exactly obvious. They're set two decades apart, and the only character from Dennou Coil who shows up is Michiko, inside Second Seven somehow. Which does at least make me suspect that the Yuukos have been busy.

Though once I noticed the space station was getting entirely covered in Isako's scribblings, that was... a moment.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#207
post #4

I feel like I haven't seen an anime in years that's been in the same league as Akira or the great Miyazakis (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Totoro). Yes i'd be brutal and include Miyazakis following works in that list, from Howls Moving Castle to The Boy and the Heron. Ive seen lots of incredible animation, sure, but nothing like the cinematic depth. What am I missing? What should an old fart who's becoming convin…

I'll give two series and a movie, since everyone has mentioned Kon. I think these are also going to appeal more to someone who hasn't been intimately involved in anime fandom.

-Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

It single-handedly revived interest in the game for a reason; it's excellent, particularly as a foil to GITS and a spiritual successor to FLCL (which I'm sure you've heard of). The animation style is VERY different from GITS, but no less technically impressive, and while the story is not quite as philosophical, it's still no less complete and satisfying.

-Sonny Boy

Tinges of Nolan, Kurosawa, Carroll, Cheever's The Swimmer. May seem like a slog at some points, but hang on for the sequence during the last episode. You'll know it when you see it. I don't want to give too much away.

-Mind Game

Again, don't want to spoil. I recommend watching late at night, Adult Swim-style. A prime example of anime that can't exist in any other medium.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#208
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watch Redline, Demon City Shinjuku, Ergo Proxy, Psycho Pass, GITS series (not the netflix animated crap), Berserk, Ninja Scroll, Jormungandr, Black Lagoon.

I watched Redline recently. The animation is worth seeing but the "story" is paper-thin. Ergo Proxy I just didn't get. Psycho Pass I really enjoyed; good depth of story and exploration of the pros and cons. GitS series is probably my favourite anime, and very high up in my favourite anything. Berserk is good, and descends into Evangelion-level insanity as it progresses. Ninja Scroll is forever a classic. Worth a re-w…

Ergo Proxy - So your biological terraforming engine has become sentient and decided to circumvent its kill code via flash cloning.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#209

> America and Europe saw their first major “anime boom” during the ‘90s. I'm not sure that's true, we had a ton of anime in Europe in the 80s already. Capitan Tsubasa aired in 86 in Italy and 88 in France, and I'm pretty sure we had a lot of Go Nagai stuff before that.

There's also Alfred Jodokus Kwak by Herman van Veen, Akira Miyazaki and Hiroshi Saitō from '89, which was redubbed in many languages.

[0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_J._Kwak

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#210

GITS is amazing as a design universe. The more you dig into the manga or movies (even the SACs) the deeper you get sucked in to what could be. From the vision of mind interfaces to the dream of mind across the net. It was WAY ahead of it's time and still stands up today. Every crevasse of the original Manga contains deep thought out design on what digital life could become. What constructs we become once we crossed t…

If you want a deeper look into the worlds of Anime at the time, I recommend: Anime Architecture : Imagined Worlds and Endless Megacities, Hardcover https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/anime-architecture-... Its a really cool book

In addition to being a bit of a digital hoarder, I have a decent collection of enlarged anime background paintings on the walls at my office. My tastes in subject matter are pretty wide ranging, but I don’t have a specific collection of the 80s anime film megacities paintings. This book seems to fill a gap I didn’t even think I had in what I display.

I was super impressed by the price point of this book. All the reviews say the print quality is excellent. $45 for a ~250 page hardcover is a great deal even if you just want it to sit on a coffee table or book shelf. Thanks for the tip, I ordered immediately, and it’s going on the small desk in my office.

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