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Ghost in the Shell order?




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zaw92



Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Dayton, OH
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:31 am Reply with quote
I wanted to watch ghost in the shell but I don't know the order so I was just wandering the order to the series, or the order that seems the best to watch it in.

thanks
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11446
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:22 am Reply with quote
1st movie
2nd movie: Innocence

Then the TV series is kind of an alternate universe:

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (movie)

There are also some OVAs that are essentially a compilation of the major cases in each of the series' seasons (in other words, these are optional, though I hear they added some animation):

Laughing Man (Season 1 OVA)
Individual Eleven (Season 2 OVA)

It doesn't really matter which order you watch them in, as they're both just adaptations of the manga. The only real differences are in the styles. The movies are a little slower and more "philosophical-based" (especially the 2nd), while the TV series is obviously longer, episodic here and there, and also upbeat with way more action sequences (think CSI, but with a central plot and lots of political/social commentary).

Have fun.
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zaw92



Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Dayton, OH
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:29 pm Reply with quote
thanks I think i will start with the movies
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Thanatos01s2



Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 231
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:59 am Reply with quote
I disagree with you Tony, I believe it is in this order:

Ghost in the Shell (1st movie)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG

Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (2nd movie)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society(movie)

I would strongly recommend watching it in this order

Also don't waste your time on the OVA's if you can't figure out those two "Cases" yourself, then Ghost in the Shell is a little too advanced for you. They are complete trash, if I remember right they were different voice actors too. Just so you know GITS is my favorite anime.
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braves



Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 2309
Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:07 am Reply with quote
Just like Tony said, the TV series is an alternate universe. So you don't have to watch the first movie before you watch the first season or watch the 2nd movie before you watch the second season. IMO, it's best to stay far away from the movies, but that's just my opinion. Wink
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labomb



Joined: 11 Aug 2008
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:18 am Reply with quote
Man, oh man.. Do yourself a favor; watch the first movie and skip the rest. The second movie and the series just becomes more convoluted and up-its-own-ass, as it progresses. Great animation but such a boring story.

..umm.. "advanced"..? Laughing This isn't math; it's an anime. Anyone above the age of 13 has a perfectly reasonable chance to understand everything that's going on, so long as they have the attention span to stay awake.

If ..ahem.. "GITS" Rolling Eyes is advanced in anything, it's snoozatronics.

Zzzzz
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Mr. sickVisionz



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2175
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:20 am Reply with quote
braves wrote:
Just like Tony said, the TV series is an alternate universe. So you don't have to watch the first movie before you watch the first season or watch the 2nd movie before you watch the second season. IMO, it's best to stay far away from the movies, but that's just my opinion. Wink


I watched the first Ghost in the Shell when I was like... 16 I think. I didn't get it at all. I might like it more now, but from what I remember its tone and feel is completely different than the animated series. The movie seemed like it was just techno-babble and philosophy. Like that was the main point, but they threw a "plot" in there. The anime series seems to be more like the plot/story is the point of the show and they surround it with techno babble/philosophy. I like that approach alot more.
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samuraiwalt



Joined: 06 Jul 2004
Posts: 647
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:31 am Reply with quote
Thanatos01s2 wrote:
Also don't waste your time on the OVA's if you can't figure out those two "Cases" yourself, then Ghost in the Shell is a little too advanced for you. They are complete trash, if I remember right they were different voice actors too. Just so you know GITS is my favorite anime.


The English VA's are different but the Japanese VA's are the same.
I also agree with the viewing order that Tony suggested


Last edited by samuraiwalt on Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:51 am; edited 2 times in total
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:47 am Reply with quote
labomb wrote:
..umm.. "advanced"..? Laughing This isn't math; it's an anime. Anyone above the age of 13 has a perfectly reasonable chance to understand everything that's going on, so long as they have the attention span to stay awake.

If GITS didn't strike you as being advanced I'd recommend at least glancing thorough Wikipedia's articles on the series.
Although I somewhat doubt its various formats are the most complicated pieces of fiction in existence, there does appear to be quite a bit to ponder over.
That said, I have little interest in SAC due to it being a different canon to the films.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4808
PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:22 pm Reply with quote
Having seen the original movie after both the SAC series, I personally feel that the former is far inferior. It smacked of that "pretentious-for-the-sake-of-being-pretentious " mood that Oshii is apparently so infamous for. SAC brought the members of Section 9 to life and made me care about them; the original movie felt like a bunch of cardboard cutouts pasted onto a backdrop of psychobabble.
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