Anime Ghost in the Shell

[Syk3]

I liked Ghost in the Shell. Sure, the plot could have used some work, and was lacking at times, but the animation and the few action scenes were great. I most especially liked the tech feel to it, and I'd give it a 7.5/10. You should put it on your list, in my opnion. :)

[SephirothNIN]

Well I pretty much agree w/ everyone on that the storyline and action was well, but some parts did bore the living crap out of me. Like one scene where it showed a street for a few minutes as cars just passed by. I sat by patiently waiting for something to happen but then it just dragged on and switched over to something else (eventually). Maybe it would've been better if all sorts of people hadn't told me how cool the movie was beforehand, damn expectations.

[vegeta rocker]

It's one of those you have to get into to like. You might have to watch it more than once to understand it. I remember i saw it while on a caffeine high and those little people in the rain with umbrellas looked like crazy running mushrooms.

[eleanor]

[size=1] I'm going to BestBuy tomorrow to buy an anime DVD, and I didn't know which one to get, so I thought maybe Ghost is a Shell. Some people say it's bad, some really good, so I thought I'd ask people on OB. And if you don't think it's good, I need some suggestions...O_o[/size]

[Semjaza]

It's Ghost in the Shell... not Ghost in a Shell or Ghost is a Shell :p

I liked the film. I had a lot of problems with it, but I liked it. I think if you appreciated movies like Akira, you will appreciate this one. GitS is arguably the better movie of the two.

My main problems exist because of my familiarity with the manga. The film takes parts of the manga, but doesn't really deal at all with the main idea. Many things are changed as well, particularly the ending (into something I personally think was almost fan service).

So... I'm guessing you haven't read the manga, which means most of what I'm going to say won't matter to you. It's a good film, and worth seeing in any case.

I'd have to say the same about the cloaking systems in the film as well. The manga and the film both deal with various agencies and governments all aligned against eachother, so there are some assassinations and spying points in both. So, of course, cloaking systems are needed.

In the manga, Motoko Kusanagi (the main character) can cloak anytime as long as she has the equipment. In the film, for some reason, she has to be completely naked. While the reasoning for it makes sense, it just seems like a reason for fans of the comic to see Motoko bouncing around naked and kicking ***. The manga had nudity as well, but it was a bit more tasteful (if you want to call it that).

The character designs are different from the manga too... The Chief and Motoko in particular. I was also very unhappy with the english dub, which made cyborgs such as Motoko sound a hell of a lot more robotic than I imagined them to be (I've not heard the original Japanese as of yet, so I can't compare).

So yeah, I could go on some more with some of the plot flaws... but that would be more information than you need heh. It's a good movie, and I'd have to say anyone that thinks it is "bad" just doesn't like these kinds of stories. It has nothing on the manga, but is still quite good.

In any case, the whole franchise did well enough to spawn a TV series (Stand Alone Complex -- which personally I found rather dull) and another set of manga called Man-Machine Interface... which is beautiful, but boring even to those who loved the detail of the original manga.

If you're looking for good anime DVDs there's always the Cowboy Bebop Movie and Grave of the Fireflies... not to mention a few other Ghibli DVDs.

[eleanor]

[size=1] Actually, I have read the manga...:/ sorry about the title mix-up there. So I guess I would hae the same problems, too.

Anyways, thanks for the review! [/size]

[Semjaza]

Heh. I couldn't tell from what you said if you had it or not. No worries.

So yeah, you'll probably have the the same problems... assuming you thought the manga was a great as I did. I still think it's worth a purchase though, and I am sure you'll enjoy it.

[SadClown]

I highly recomend this movie. The art is something that has to grow on you though because, at first, I didn't like it, but after seeing it a countess number of times, I can see the great detail in it. Just don't expect bright colors and big eyes like in most anime. I acctually think this movie contains some of the most beautiful animation scenes I have ever seen, especially Motoko's fight in the end, which, btw, I feel that the nudity was pretty tasteful.

[PrinceAshitaka]

I agree, it was a great movie but at first I didn't quite understand it. Because there were too much talk and action. But I say it's a great movie, I even bought the VCD.

[Guest ominae yu]

I bought that on DVD and I haven't even had it for a day because so many people have been borrowing it off me. even though it came out like 5 years ago.