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Ghost in the Shell - Where to Start and What's Worth Watching (and Reading)


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Arale Kurashiki



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 781
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 8:56 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I'm sure there are other Japanese-only items I've missed out, but I think this list has been definitive enough, yes?

Oshii's "G2.5" pilot film, released as an extra on the bluray for his film Garm Wars!

Although not bearing the brand name, Oshii has said it was a pilot for an Oshii Ghost in the Shell 3 (among other things). LucasArts liked it, but Production I.G. hated it, and the project didn't go forward. It features naked women fighting, so was maybe inspired by Shirow's Gits2 and its multiple Major "Isotopes", which would make sense (Oshii's Innocence loosely taking a couple things Gits1.5, after all).
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pi8you



Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Posts: 197
Location: Minneapolis
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 11:38 am Reply with quote
Great list, and one I've collected most of over the years. The Cyberdelics collection is, indeed, quite a gorgeous set of posters.

In the completionist vein I'll add:

Kodansha also has bilingual releases of GitS and MMI available (the former of which will give you the censored pages in English), which are fun if you want to see them somehow cram even more text onto the page, if not up to the same print quality as their current editions.

The original Japanese release of MMI that Kevin mentions is worth mentioning as it was part of a "Ghost in the Shell Solid Box" which is comprised of a pair of nice hardcovers for both GitS and this 'alpha' version of MMI, along with a nice-sized (~6" long) clear Fuchikoma and some other goodies that make it worth considering
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stefand



Joined: 24 Mar 2015
Posts: 56
Location: Germany
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 3:48 pm Reply with quote
Am i the only one that was bored by the manga? I love the movies and SAC, but i was never able to finish the manga, i tried it several times.
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Keen Fox



Joined: 06 Dec 2017
Posts: 147
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 5:18 pm Reply with quote
[/quote]

That is soo cute!
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Keen Fox



Joined: 06 Dec 2017
Posts: 147
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 5:22 pm Reply with quote
pi8you wrote:
Great list, and one I've collected most of over the years. The Cyberdelics collection is, indeed, quite a gorgeous set of posters.

In the completionist vein I'll add:

Kodansha also has bilingual releases of GitS and MMI available (the former of which will give you the censored pages in English), which are fun if you want to see them somehow cram even more text onto the page, if not up to the same print quality as their current editions.

The original Japanese release of MMI that Kevin mentions is worth mentioning as it was part of a "Ghost in the Shell Solid Box" which is comprised of a pair of nice hardcovers for both GitS and this 'alpha' version of MMI, along with a nice-sized (~6" long) clear Fuchikoma and some other goodies that make it worth considering


I wanted to quote your image but messed up! I am confused quoting specific parts, how do I do it?
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InfiniteNothingness



Joined: 13 Apr 2017
Posts: 201
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 6:08 pm Reply with quote
@ Keen Fox: As long as you keep something within the [quote] blocks, it'll be quoted. So, you strip out all of the text, leaving "[img]...[/img]" from pi8you's post.

See this post by dtm42 on forum stuff for more.
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dmanatunga



Joined: 12 Jan 2015
Posts: 80
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 6:37 pm Reply with quote
My thoughts on SAC_2045 are pretty much an exact match. The show really did have some interesting story points in the first part, while the ending of second part was incredibly confusing. It really is a
classic case of the animation bringing down the product (next closest example for me is what happened to Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer). If other folks want to see some hilarious GIFs from the animation in the first part, check out the TWIA post on the first part: animenewsnetwork.com/this-week-in-anime/2020-05-07/.159338.

Also, gotta mention the first part also has a hilarious individual episode involving Batou and a bunch of senior-aged folks robbing a bank.

Lastly, props to the author on another great summary article!
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Monster Man Enishi



Joined: 27 May 2024
Posts: 21
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 7:04 pm Reply with quote
Man, I really wish Ghost in the Shell: SAC was available to stream in Japanese with English subtitles, especially after the passing of the Major's voice actress Atsuko Tanaka. After Netflix started a sequel series to SAC, I thought they'd nab the first 2 seasons.
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dm
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1482
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 7:48 pm Reply with quote
Wow, great survey. Not knowing my way around SAC had kept me from going past the first couple of seasons.

I agree that the Tachikoma Days shorts are great (as were the Tachikoma-focused episodes of SAC).

And yeah, I was never able to make much headway with the manga after the first volume.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1335
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 8:12 pm Reply with quote
2045 was enjoyable(with a lot of that coming from most of the strong dub cast returning), but I've never gone back for a rewatch and kind of don't feel a need to? It was fine.
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writerpatrick



Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 685
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 8:35 pm Reply with quote
I think the way most were exposed to it here was with the movie first, then the first TV series. Both were broadcast on TV which made them accessible to the broadest audience. And the movie is a good summary of what GitS is all about, so one can get a good idea of whether they like the story or not. The animation might not be as impressive as it was then, but the story is still interesting.
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TJ_Kat



Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 426
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 9:14 pm Reply with quote
NGL I went into this fully expecting the video games to be skipped. Not only did you include them, but you also included things like Intron Depot and Pieces. Color me impressed.

Thank you for putting this together. I haven't kept up with the franchise for a while so this was helpful.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4830
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 11:33 pm Reply with quote
Fantastic article! I can't imagine how much time and effort it took to go through so many different elements of the franchise. I'm personally familiar with only a few iterations on the anime side of things, but they made a huge impact on me. Stand-Alone Complex was one of the very first series I stumbled upon during my initial forays into anime, and it grabbed me right from the start. (I have a distinct memory of coming in at what I later learned is episode 25 of season 1, and, well...if you know, you know.) To this day it remains one of my all-time favorites: it's shockingly intelligent, full of great action sequences, and backed by what may be Yoko Kanno's greatest soundtrack of all. (Rest in peace, Origa.) I've been hesitant to give 2045 a try because of the widespread negative feedback on its visuals, but if there really is something good there than I may have to reconsider. The crappy part is that the recent home video release is sub-only, because Netflix are money-grubbing jerks who make it cost-prohibitive to use their own dubs. There's no way I'm watching it without the fantastic SAC dub cast, so guess I'm taking the other route.

As for the rest, all I've seen is Oshii's original film. It was visually stunning, and I understand why it was such a prominent landmark in the history of anime, but coming to it after watching SAC made it feel very...cold and impersonal. I really missed all of those everyday interactions between the members of Section 9 that the longer-form TV format allowed for. Someday I'll get to Innocence, but it has such a strong reputation for being completely up its own ass that I'm in no great rush. I also have Funi's releases of Arise, but I haven't worked my way to that yet.

Oh right, and I got to play a bit of First Assault Online before it unfortunately shut down. It was fun enough for what it was.


Last edited by Top Gun on Fri Aug 30, 2024 11:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Keen Fox



Joined: 06 Dec 2017
Posts: 147
PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 11:35 pm Reply with quote
[quote="InfiniteNothingness"]@ Keen Fox: As long as you keep something within the
Quote:
blocks, it'll be quoted. So, you strip out all of the text, leaving "[img]...[/img]" from pi8you's post.

See this post by dtm42 on forum stuff for more.

Thank you!
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sharkticon



Joined: 19 Jul 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2024 4:19 am Reply with quote
pi8you wrote:

Kodansha also has bilingual releases of GitS and MMI available (the former of which will give you the censored pages in English), which are fun if you want to see them somehow cram even more text onto the page, if not up to the same print quality as their current editions.


I'm not sure if it is accurate to call them the censored versions any more, considering they are the ones the mangaka prefers, and has chosen for recent editions. Censorship implies it being forced upon the mangaka, this reads more like a George Lucas special edition scenario.
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