Format: Region Free Blu-ray, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English, Chinese and Japanese Subtitles.
Length: 4 episodes x 55 minutes
Production Date: 2013 - 2014
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes
“Arise” is set some three years prior to the universe of “Stand Alone Complex” (although it’s unclear if the two series are in the same timeline), in the year 2027. The series also takes place before the formation of Motoko’s unit in Section 9. Though not explicitly stated in the show itself, a year has passed since World War IV. In Newport City we meet Major Motoko Kusanagi who is stationed with the military unit known as Unit 501. Having recently arrived back in Japan, she discovers her superior, Colonel Giichi Mamoru, has been murdered while under suspicion of accepting bribes in addition as being an illegal arms dealer while in his position of overseeing weapons exports. She receives a brief case from him containing what she believes to be evidence that may clear his name. Public Security Section 9 has been given the task of investigating the case much to the displeasure of Motoko who believes it should be dealt with internally in Unit 501. Though there’s not much chance of that happening with an ongoing restructure of the military and the potential perception of a cover up if Unit 501 was investigating the murder of one of their own.
While Section 9 is in the middle of exhuming Mamoru’s body in the military cemetery (in order to scan his cyber brain), Motoko attempts to stop them from doing so. Amaraki intervenes and convinces her to let them dig up the coffin. However inside they discover a mobile land mine which is in the form of a robot which looks like a young girl. It activates and attacks the members of Section 9, however Motoko manages to stop it in its tracks and neutralise the resulting explosion as much as she can. Motoko pleads with her commanding officer, Kurutsu, to investigate who laid the mobile land mine which Kurutsu eventually agrees to. Motoko retraces Mamoru’s footsteps on the day he died via CCTV footage. She learns that four people were following him including a the same type of mobile land mine that attacked her and Section 9. Section 9 later seek the services of Motoko for the case as she excellent at solving cybercrime cases. Section 9 want to know who is transferring large sums of Mamoru’s bank account. But soon suspicion falls on Motoko. She begins to feel phantom pain in her body, keeps seeing visions of the mobile land mine in her quarters and local mercenary, Batou, believes that she murdered Mamoru.
A couple of years ago, Bandai Visual pulled up stumps from the US, UK and French markets and went home. The new plan for releasing anime in the west was pretty much to stick subs on the Japanese Blu-rays. In conjunction with this, they decided on a new release strategy for big budget OVAs in Japan; release each part as a limited release in cinemas, let the fans buy the BD at the cinema with a general retail release a month down the track. It worked a treat for “Gundam Unicorn” and “Code Geass: Akito the Exiled” and “Ghost in Shell: Arise” were the next two series to be released in the same way. While the plan seems to be working for Bandai, I think pretty much all of the product released this way has been a little mediocre; a lot of flash and hype, and not a great deal of substance. Unfortunately “Arise” continues this trend. Certainly the first episode is quite good. The action is really fluid and well-choreographed, the story has a lot of really neat twists and turns you don’t see coming. It’s quite fun. The introductions of the characters that will eventually make up Motoko’s team in Section 9, Batou, Togusa, Ishikawa, Saito, Paz and Borma are reasonably well done and not as forced as I thought they would be.
As the series progresses Motoko gathers up the staff that will become her team and solves several complex cybercrime cases for Section 9. There is a nice ongoing thread between all four parts of the series which involves Unit 501 and a multinational corporation. Where the series really falls down however is the reuse of themes and none too subtle homages to scenes from the previous GitS films, TV series and manga. You have the overused plot lines where people’s memories are hacked and changed, people who feel duded by the system and want payback, highly militaristic robots/tanks vs. Motoko, the child-like cutesy voiced Logicoma tanks etc. Though in most cases most of these scenes are written with a bit of imagination and originality, the homages, especially in the final OVA/film, are just plain annoying. Clichéd sequences such as Motoko gracefully diving off a skyscraper or tearing off the hatch of tank with muscles straining and bulging/ripping of her skin, comes off as really, really tied, dull and worst of all, lazy. Strangely most of these sequences appear in the last episode.
Like the other parts of the franchise, this one is handled by Production I.G, with direction by the unknown Kazuchika Kise. Kise had only previously directed the relatively obscure gag anime short film "Tansuwarashi" but has been an animation director on many big name anime projects over the last two and a half decades. He manages to adequately adapt the material and as I mentioned before most of the action sequences are extremely well done. But some of the animation can look a little cheap at times or a bit off model. For example see Motoko’s facial expressions in the fight towards the end of the first episode for example. Sci-fi novelist turned anime/game scenariosist and screenplay writer Tow Ubukata ("Mardock Scramble", "Chevalier d'Eon"), provides the story and scripts. Admittedly he's done a pretty decent job. You kind of get lost in the complexity of the plot at times though. The music this time around is by cultish experimental electronica/indie rocker musician Cornelius (best known in the west for the 2001 single "Drop"). Most of it is OK, but the opening theme doesn’t exactly get you excited for what is about to come. I prefer Yoko Kanno’s score for “Stand Alone Complex”. The cast are completely different from previous anime adaptations. Of particular note is Maaya Sakamoto who plays Motoko Kusanagi. I didn't even recognise her voice. She sounds like a completely different person, but fits the role perfectly.
The extras on the discs vary greatly in quality. The “Logicoma Beat” shorts are subtitled (which I didn't expect). Unfortunately they’re not very interesting and contain the exact same punch line over the four episodes. There was no real need to copy the Tachikoma shorts from “Stand Alone Complex”. They should have moved on and did something completely different. There are two other animated shorts which are promo pieces for Japan Registry Services and Microsoft Surface Tablet. Both do not contain subtitles, however the later doesn’t contain dialogue. Both are pretty damn good for what are essential adverts. Volume 4 comes with a series of bewildering live action shorts called “Ghost in the Shell border: less project” (no English subtitles, though some have no dialogue) which seem to have absolutely nothing to do with the franchise. On all four volumes there is also a smattering of commercials and trailers for the series.
So overall, it’s a decent series, but it’s hardly as interesting or exciting as “Stand Alone Complex” or the 1995 film (as for "Innocence", let's not go there...). In fact watching it sort makes me wish for a English BD release of “Stand Alone Complex”. Instead we got this. If you do decide to buy the series, go with a local release (Madman, Funimation etc.) rather than the expensive import. Though a fair bit of the show ticked me off a little (too much déjà vu), the interesting, complex plots and action scenes mostly made up for it. I’m going to be nice and give it a 7 out of 10. Almost gave .5 less, but I’m in a good mood.
Remaining Backlog: Half a dozen series, a couple of films.
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