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Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

animationobsessive.substack.com

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Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#101

Post by cedilla »

doublepg23 wrote: post #74
xorbax wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I think Akira can't be surpassed. Not just because it was done on acetate, but because of the level of skill and consideration required to animate that way. You can't just undo that brush stroke onto the cel and try something else. As much as technology has democratized the field, I think it also lowers the heights. I desperately hope I'm wrong and just old, but I haven't met someone who puts up something…

I think the democratization means the heights won't be big-budget corporate things, they'll be on YouTube or Patreon.

Akira was a big budget corporate thing though. It's technical excellence came from having the budget to employ multiple highly skilled animation leads and hundreds of animators drawing hundreds of thousands of cells.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#102

Post by bullfightonmars »

XorNot wrote: 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 didn’t get SAC back when it was on Adult Swim. Seeing it randomly and out of order it seemed stale, slow, and too dense. But watched in sequence it is a fantastic bit of scifi.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#103

Post by lupusreal »

xorbax wrote: post #68
YurgenJurgensen wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That something is acetate.

This is why I think Akira can't be surpassed. Not just because it was done on acetate, but because of the level of skill and consideration required to animate that way. You can't just undo that brush stroke onto the cel and try something else. As much as technology has democratized the field, I think it also lowers the heights. I desperately hope I'm wrong and just old, but I haven't met someone who puts up something…

I think animation done in computers can be excellent, but is disadvantaged because computers make it easier to do thinks quick and cheap and the economics of animation incentivises taking that direction.

Redline is a rare example where I think it's done well.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#104

Post by lupusreal »

cedilla wrote: post #100
xorbax wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I think Akira can't be surpassed. Not just because it was done on acetate, but because of the level of skill and consideration required to animate that way. You can't just undo that brush stroke onto the cel and try something else. As much as technology has democratized the field, I think it also lowers the heights. I desperately hope I'm wrong and just old, but I haven't met someone who puts up something…

Akira is a cult classic and a pivotal point in anime - much more in the US than in Japan. If you don't know of a film surpassing it in skill and consideration in the thirty years since it was made it probably says more about your exposure to anime. Maybe it's just that Cyberpunk is less popular now and the big genres are of less interest to you.

The big genres of modern anime seem to predominantly be pandering to base weebs. Waifu shit meant to sell body pillows. Where is all the serious animation like Magnetic Rose at?

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#105

Post by cjk2 »

BoingBoomTschak wrote: post #77
SuperNinKenDo wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's beyond heartbreaking. Everything is somehow getting worse but I'd held out hope that something universally considered a masterpiece might get better treatment. Do you know if a better release exists in Japan?

My wooden peg leg and the parrot on my experienced and still active privateer shoulder tell me no.

That is the way. Arrr.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#106

Post by urza »

cjk2 wrote: post #6
nanna wrote: 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…

There is good stuff out there. I watched Pantheon and Scavengers Reign recently, both excellent, but not old stable anime. Scavengers Reign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWQH8cMpWTU Pantheon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_HJ3TSlo5c

Pantheon is amazing. Especially the ending.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#107

Post by fidotron »

cedilla wrote: post #101
doublepg23 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the democratization means the heights won't be big-budget corporate things, they'll be on YouTube or Patreon.

Akira was a big budget corporate thing though. It's technical excellence came from having the budget to employ multiple highly skilled animation leads and hundreds of animators drawing hundreds of thousands of cells.

Conspicuously though Akira is a product of the manga industry and not the anime one. This is why it deviates from the norms in so many respects.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#109

Post by JKCalhoun »

maxglute wrote: post #47
Shinchy wrote: post #34

I'm not sure what others are saying, I re-watched Ghost in the Shell again recently and I had forgotten just how brilliant it is. There is something pure about it that you just don't find in modern anime, something that really resonated.

Every part of GiS has been, per article "endlessly ripped off, referenced and remixed". Whatever one liked about original GiS, there's a derivation out there that turns dial to 11 and makes the original feel basic in retrospect. But that's testimony to GiS greatness.

The "Lord of the Rings" novel is that way too to anyone not steeped in fantasy. It might be hard to imagine for many people these days that "elves" and "dwarves" strictly meant children's fairytales before Tolkien. Magical rings, wizards, dragons with tunnels of gold ... seems so cliche now it is easy to see why someone would wonder what the big deal about Tolkien is.

Re: Selling 'Ghost in the Shell'

#110

Post by scns »

bullfightonmars wrote: post #99
ojhughes wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really enjoyed "Re:ZERO - Starting Life in Another World" despite it scoring -11.5 using your system (Isekai translates to another world)

Ha. Stuff like this is entertaining but it is not what I would call good. It’s like the reality tv of anime. Cheap wish fulfillment fan service. There have been some legit good series recently that play with these fantasy genres, have solid writing and animation. * Friern: Beyond Journey’s End - an extremely sentimental coming of age tale that explorers children raising parents, loyalty, and platonic love. * Deliciou…

> fan service

I really enjoyed Shokugeki No Soma, got a Crunchroll account to keep watching it.

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