Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Ghost in the Shell - Border:1 Ghost Pain

Bold and cryptic, the original Ghost in the Shell movie (1995) is considered by many fans to be the apex of sci-fi anime within its decade. Over time, Oshii’s adroit directing influenced a multitude of many abstract ideas, both ambitious and creative. However, it was Kamiyama Kenji’s Stand Alone Complex iteration of the series that helped further the franchise's reputation as a result of its superb action scenes, script, and sophistication.

With that said, Ghost in the Shell: Arise is a series that needs no introduction. But perhaps in an ironic way, it is essentially the introduction for the franchise. Although the franchise is largely ... an elaborate piece comprised of intelligent crime cases that tackle thought-provoking issues, the cast remains enigmatic as a whole. In its entire run, only bits of backstories about the characters are scattered throughout, and Motoko’s relationships with the rest of Section 9 are not specified until the second season of the Stand Alone Complex.

Arise however, gives very little in the way of answers for the amount of questions that it brings to the table. In many respects, the premise of a cybernetic hacker is redolent of the original Ghost in the Shell movie, though the unsettling atmosphere is construed and explained in a very different manner. Arise is very much focused on Motoko herself, rather than the broader social scope. In the event of Border: 1 Ghost Pain there is an alleged conviction that Motoko is the culprit of a murder case, and Motoko must confront herself in the midst of confusions to clear up her name.

Consistently incorporated throughout the movie, Arise's ambiguity is the foothold for its mysterious components. While murky at times, the enigmatic nature of the movie allows for the truth of Motoko's conviction to surface in a tangible fashion. The beginning of the movie arouses a sense of confusion (in a good way) and easily attracts the audience's attention. However, the nature of the Arise series being separated into 50 minute entries very much limits the extent of the storytelling. In the case of Border: 1 Ghost Pain, this is especially true, as the riddle is unraveled in a predictable succession of preface, hinting of a villain, uncertainty, and then a final battle with said villain. The conflict is weakened in the process due to the simple mistake of a rushed pacing, leaving us with a shallow sense of suspense during the latter parts of the movie.

Despite the contestable issues with the pacing, the essence of the character dynamics hasn't lost its touch in this movie. Motoko slowly re-encounters and stumbles upon many future members of the soon-to-be Section 9, and their relationships remain underdeveloped yet still sturdy. For an introductory plot, Arise made a first-rate effort of delivering the story in a simplistic yet appropriately mystical pattern. Unfortunately, the said deliverance is occasionally soiled by the inclusion of one-dimensional villains, whose actions conveniently fit as plot devices where needed.

By and large, the animation is pleasing to look at. On one hand, the action scenes are all fluid and splendidly done. Likewise, the aesthetics generally illustrate appealing appearances. On the other hand, while the character designs are fresh and new, they could be viewed as dubious alterations by older fans. Similarly, the music is not as excellent as hoped. It is perhaps too high a bar for one’s music to live up to Yoko Kanno’s distinctive style. However, as individual background music, the OST is actually fine in setting the gloomy mood during the movie.

As an experimental film to follow up on an imposing legacy, Border: 1 Ghost Pain has done a surprisingly fine job of providing basic background. While some lesser parts drag down the tension of the story as a whole, the core of the franchise is still there. Although it does not pay homage to the long-lived franchise, Arise proves to be a fascinating take on the sci-fi genre. For that, Border: 1 Ghost Pain still deserves a try for its creation of an intriguing thriller. Naturally, there are still three other movies that are subjected to their own merits, so it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

::NOTE:: This is a review of the entire of Ghost in the Shell Arise because splitting them up is only done by dumb people and MAL admins. So basically just dumb people.

Ghost in the Shell has gone through a few hands in its life. From the cyberpunk manga origins by Shirow Masamune, before he turned into a weirdo who only drew calendars full of pictures of impossibly proportioned naked girls covered in machine oil, it then went to Oshi. There it had its most visually striking entrant with a gorgeously directed movie, albeit one lacking a little in character. Then he made a second movie ... which we should all probably not talk about. Then it was handed over to Kenji Kamiyama and was allowed to spread its wings a little in two full length TV series. With this space it was able to explore a wide range of typical cyberpunk topics with frightening levels of depth in what I consider to be the strongest the franchise has ever been.

The latest instalment sees it placed into the hands of Tow Ubukata as the chief writer and I will admit I was a little bit worried. This is the man whose most famous previous work was Mardock Scramble, a novel series that certainly had its interesting ideas but sorta lost track of them around about the time Norio Wakamoto was being eaten by flying homosexual sharks. Actually I think it was the dolphin that was homosexual…anyway, gay marine animals aside, it was a huge mess. So I tuned into Ghost in the Shell Arise with my expectations tempered significantly.

So, Arise. It’s a prequel-of-sorts to Stand Alone Complex (apart from the fact characters’ backstories have changed so it’s not actually a prequel at all but it hardly matters) featuring a younger Major Kusanagi leaving her old military unit to form Section 9 on behest of a boring old man called Aramaki. Despite the backstories changing and therefore COMPLETELY RUINING the franchise, each character introduced feels like slipping back into comfortable old shoes. The Major is still her headstrong self with that self-doubt and temper hiding beneath. Batou is still the cyborg dudebro with a kind heart. Togusa is still that intelligent family man. The rest of the crew whose names you can never remember are still hanging around in the background being not as interesting.

The story for Arise over its 4 episodes is about the nature of memories and how can you trust your cyborg brain when it can be hacked and change you as a person. Things you considered vital parts of your psyche could be lies and you doubt your own humanity when you can be so easily rewired. Who do you let past those defences you have built up in your fear that you may become something you are not. Who are you really and can you trust your body to represent you. Are you defined by your memories? Pretty standard stuff if you’ve ever experienced any previous iteration of Ghost in the Shell, but it hasn’t stopped being a fascinating subject in that time.

Arise focuses on memories most of all and builds on this theme in some really quite excellent ways that aren’t immediately apparent from the start. Part of this is because the show is so bloody difficult to follow. Episode 1 is the worst in this regards. Being incredibly complicated to the point that you can feel your brain slowly dribble out your ears through exertion is again something very common to Ghost in the Shell. Making a Ghost in the Shell not complex would be like making a Gundam anime without robots. But when you start throwing in an unreliable narrator created by false memories altering what it is she sees to the point that you question whether anything you saw previously is true, that’s when you’re just being mean. The show is complicated enough as it is without making us doubt everything we’ve seen.

Thankfully it improves immensely after that. Episode 2 is a perfect example of how to do it and should be a good outline for how to do every Ghost in the Shell episode. It’s about a military unit who have been put on a show trial for war crimes they didn’t commit so their boss shuts down the city by hacking into its traffic computers, so the Major and her team have to track the perpetrators down through both an epic car chase and hacking battle. It’s an episode that’s simple enough to wrap your head around with understandable motivations but still with the depth to the conflict that makes it interesting. It even has a twist involving the false memories that works because it’s only a single change that you can instantly understand the implications of and even throws in some character depth and themes of how our memories can define us.

It also has a kick-ass car chase involving Arise’s versions of Tachikoma doing their best Attack on Titan’s Survey Corps impressions, swinging through the cyberpunk city with their absurdly cute high pitched cheers. For as much as I like to talk about all the depth and complexity of Ghost in the Shell, I also want to see the Major punch someone in the face so hard her own cyborg arm is crushed. The production values here are about equal to that of Stand Alone Complex, which is a little disappointing in that we haven’t progressed that much in the 10+ years since then but since Stand Alone Complex still looks fantastic today that’s not as negative a point as it sounds. Fights feel impactful and I even like the Major’s character design revamp (it’s about time she put on some bloody clothes).

Where is has really upgraded is the CG. Where Stand Alone Complex CG cars look awful, Arise looks a lot better and even exciting. That car chase wouldn’t have looked anything like as good had Stand Alone Complex tried it with its CG. It can admittedly jump back and forth in quality though. Arise uses a hell of a lot of CG animation and it can be jarring when a character changes from one scene in CG to the second in hand-drawn, and it still lacks that all important weight that CG seems to be permanently saddled with. But it didn’t make me go “ewwww CG” which is an improvement in almost all other CG. On a cinematography standpoint though I feel Arise is the weakest in the franchise. The best it gets comes in the fourth episode when it makes some very deliberate call-backs to the movie.

In the end I came away feeling quite positive about the whole experience. It definitely has its weaker points. It can’t match the movies visual flair nor have the space to recapture the depth and character of Stand Alone Complex, but it does get somewhere in between the two. The most positive thing I can say about it, as a huge fan of this franchise, is it definitely feels like Ghost in the Shell. Its characters, themes, writing and even general flow feel like Ghost in the Shell. It doesn’t come across as bad fanfiction tacked onto the franchise or anything like that (which this same author seems to be doing with whatever the fuck he’s done to Psycho Pass). It has all the things I love about the Ghost in the Shell franchise. Not any more than that, but not any less either.

Perhaps this question may have popped into your mind one of these days: What happens to our future after the events of a world war? Perhaps we still exist but on the other hand, what would our new world be like? Well, it's a question that not many of us may care to know given our current circumstances. But world wars have happened in the past and they left devastating results. To quote from a famous German physicist, Albert Einstein once said:

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Well, it's ... back. Even if it's not in original form, I am quite happy to see a revived Ghost in the Shell animation in some way or form. At the same time, it should be noted that this first film (and the rest) are considered prequels. In other words, this film does not belong to any of the original three series. This is an alternate series. Kenji Kamiyama , the director of the series, in fact isn't even involved with the project. Anyways, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border:1 Ghost Pain is the first of four films of a saga that takes place in 2027, apparently one year after the end of a non-nuclear world war. The setting takes place in New Port City where there's all sorts of drama and crimes.

The film runs over 50 minutes but just under an hour. Its atmosphere reflects on the dark and grim like futuristic world where there's crime and anxiety. Even in the beginning, there's a bit of investigation related to the murder of an individual. Then of course, there's the investigators. Among one of them is our main female protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi of Unit 501. There's not much we learn about her except for the fact that her body is made up of cybernetic enhancements and is fully cyborg. Identified by her fierce eyes, Major plays the role of a dominant woman-cyborg hybrid who is fully capable of handling situations herself.

Being set in a futuristic world, there are obviously futuristic themes and gadgets. Beyond just Major's cybernetic advancements, there are interactive AI, powerful surveillance devices, and machines that are capable of destruction. With its cyberpunk settings, it's no surprise that the futuristic world has more developed technologies to our own. Perhaps World War IV triggered more than just fear. Rather, it created a state in which the technologies we depend mayb become our own destruction. In the world of GITS, there's crime and weapons who falls into the hands of dangerous individuals can be a catastrophic.

Among other factors in the film, there seems to be a little mystery regarding on the murder of the particular individual from the beginning. In fact, whoever killed him had his or her motives. The job is obviously handed to our Major who seems to struggle quite a bit in the case, at times even putting her colleagues' lives at risk. Her action girl skills puts her in the shoes of a dominant female though as she is independent and often works at own her discretion. Mounted by her cool Kaneda style bike and red suit, Major fights with style and her own way. The way she handles cases seems to be straight out and to the point although surprises can take her on a different scale at various occasions.

No discussion with GITS can be complete without returning characters right? Among one of the returning characters from the original series is a large man with strange eyes and also full of cybernetic enhancements. His name is Batou and there's definitely some suspicion that falls under his eyes. In fact, those eyes of his aims suspicion at our Major. As strange as it sounds, their reunion gets a bit rocky with fists aiming at one another. However, trouble brews faster than it comes as our main characters finds themselves in jeopardy at the mercy of many of the dangerous gadgets in this film.

As I had expected, the OST mixes well with the action packed scenes. In fact, the action is fast paced with no holding back between many scenes. Handled by both guns and physically, the film adapts that straight out way of combat. Some of the battle scenes later on even resembles Terminator-like duels between cyborgs. In terms of mental aesthetics, GITS Arise also explores some of the inner parts of Major such as her 'memories' and causes of a pain that she experiences throughout the film. Connecting with the cyberpunk themes, it's no surprise that the film decided to adapt these ideas. "What's real?" and "What's the truth?" are just a few questions that pops up into Major's mind.

The result of the animation by Production IG in this film seems a bit different. Namely Major, her hair is of a different color for some reason than compared to the original GITS series. I did find Major's new character design to be out of space and strange. Also, the amount of fan service was somewhat more than I expected. Her design is also fitted with numerous cable plugs that truly reflects her nature as a cyborg. (those cables do come in handy by the way...) The backgrounds definitely gives off that natural feeling of being a world set in futuristic times though. The high level structures and machinery are just a few example. Among another key factor is the idea of the title. It's mysterious but fits with the idea.

As for soundtrack, the film handled it quite well from my perspective with its electronic beats. There's a sense of that science fiction feeling that matches the many scenes of the film at many occasions whether be Major's action scenes, the OP song, or the voices of the characters. Speaking of which, Sakamoto Maaya once again lent her voice in this film as our main character Major. The way she speaks reflects her serious nature and ideas of dealing with crimes throughout the city. Then, there is also the ED song that has that unusual beat. Well, if anything, I thought the OST worked well for the film.

All in all, this film is nostalgic and brings back some of that GITS feelings back. It's been quite awhile after all and this is a rather refreshment of what's to come next with Major and her crew. The animation is a bit out of shape but ignoring that aspect, this film brings out a scientific flow of crime investigation. If you were a fan of the cyberpunk genre or the original GITS series, then this film is definitely something to keep an eye on. Even if you're fresh and completely new to the franchise, its' worth giving a shot. It's only about 50 minutes so consider that a standard for this film. Of course, there's three others to come later, with Ghost Whispers debuting in November. Simply put, give this film at least a try. GITS awaits you.

At the top of the cyberpunk hill stands the Ghost in the Shell franchise. First formulated in concept by Masamune Shirow, it has been Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell (1995) film and Kenji Kamiyama's Standalone Complex series that have amassed wide and overwhelmingly positive reception. Ghost in the Shell: Arise—a four-part OVA series—is the most recent installment into the franchise, serving as a prequel set prior to Section 9's establishment. With high expectations coming from a new Ghost in the Shell title, it may not come as a surprise that Arise's first piece (Border:1 Ghost Pain) wields variable success.

Perhaps one of the most noticeable ... changes in Arise is the single point of view focus onto Motoko. Her actions and behavior play off as slightly more human in the OVA, whether it be displaying discernible facial expressions or occasionally acting by emotion. This causes her to seem more like her physical age than her typical, cold and cryptic self. Additionally, she holds more bearing on the story than normal. Aiming to solve a murder and later being implicated as the primary suspect, Motoko becomes pivotal in whether Arise can subtly yet powerfully grasp its story.

As a teaser and opener, Border:1 does a decent job. The mystery remains simple while still wafting that old GITS tension; it nicely paces through the narrative on tried and true grounds. The investigations murk about, action scenes go a-flurry, and exciting plot twists make the sketches of a solid storyline. Motoko also receives hints of development through a partially grasped backstory, and while this may seem incomplete, Border:1 is after all only one of four entries, and the allusions toward more (particularly Motoko's development and thorough introductions to future Section 9 members) work seamlessly into the storytelling.

Yet, this is also one of Arise's pitfalls. The simple plot structure—combined with a singular point of view and occasionally awkward pacing—can cause a few scenes to feel slightly linear and dull. Moreover, the restrictive point of view may narrow the scope of the OVA's aims, and GITS's recurring characters (namely, Araki, Batou, and Togusa) make a nice cameo but that's about it.

This leaves a lurking, uneasy feeling about the work's direction; many of the sci-fi themes prevalent in previous titles are also non-existent here. However, what's fortunate is that Arise manages to keep many of the subtleties and charm within the character dialogues intact. It may not exactly feel like the GITS we've all come to learn and love, but it's still a good sci-fi story nonetheless.

Much of the streamlined narrative can also be attributed to the limited time allocated in Arise. After all, a one-hour treat can only do so much into framing the beginning, middle, and ends of a mystery. However, this limitation is surely not the only factor causing simplifications in the work; the villains come and go, the action scenes are numerous yet not always relevant to the plot, and certain dialogues seem out of place and unrequired. Still, at the heart of Arise's content lie the fundamental pieces which provide for good writing.

While Arise's visuals proudly stands with its own style, its design choices have stirred controversy. The OVA beautifully flourishes a lighter opacity than previous installments. This luminosity offers a fresher appeal, leaving a tonal vibrance that nicely captures the ages of the slightly younger cast. However, paired with the more minimalist detail and brighter shade of skin tones, this can at times apprehend viewers. Motoko's character design, for instance, almost (note: almost) has that moe appeal trending among current shows. This no doubt has spurred contentions among the loins of all otaku and self-appraising viewers. Fortunately, what rare fanservice does exist encapsulates the same seinen bloodshed-and-boobies common in the genre. In other words, you won't be seeing Motoko pull off an Asuka catchphrase any time soon.

The soundtrack remains true to the cyberpunk theme, offering circuits of electronic pop, jazz, and smooth guitar riffs. The choreography and overall animation are generally both fluid and topknotch, oozing out creativity with Arise's integration of cybertechnology in action scenes—realtime hacking wizardry, cybernetic organs, and quick-fire CQC. The 3D CGI works just as well as in Stand Alone Complex, with little to no intrusive vices; it's great to know these elements have (for the most part) marched the classic beat encased within the GITS franchise.

With mixed success in its execution, Arise still serves as an admirable entry point into a new tetralogy. Production IG proves that its animation and visuals are still ever improving, and Arise's plot—while "off"—makes a decent segway for the next three titles to come along. Whether one is a fan of Border:1 or not, high hopes remain for the upcoming installments.

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This review is written by members of the club Quiet Discourse. For more details, please see the club frontpage.

There’s something about reboots that invoke equal feelings of worry and excitement. Rebuilding on a premise from scratch opens up an enormous amount of potential to tell a brand new and exciting spin on an old tale. This is especially the case when the world is as interesting and layered as Ghost in the Shell. But that’s exactly what makes reboots so worrisome. It’s up to the creators to capitalize on that potential, but they don’t always do. Which one did Production I.G do, you may ask?

Ghost in the Shell: Arise Border: 1 Ghost Pain is the first part of a series of movies reimagining ... the original Ghost in the Shell series. This new series is an origin story for Section 9, detailing what happened before they became the ass-kicking vigilantes of Stand Alone Complex. The story starts with Public Security Section 9 investigating the death of a high ranking military officer who may have been involved in some shady dealings. It turns out that this man is the superior of Motoko Kusanagi, who is currently working under a special unit of the military. Throw in a mysterious virus, some politics, some action, some self-reflection, and a number of shady individuals and you’ve cooked yourself up a GITS mystery.

All the important characters of Ghost in the Shell make a comeback, though the spotlight is definitely on Motoko. Batou and Pazu play a part in solving the mystery, while Chief Aramaki, Borma, and Togusa are sort of pushed to the side. Many of the characters look and act noticeably younger.

Motoko has undergone a drastic change. She’s given an entirely new backstory this time around, the most noticeable change being that we get to see her family. She is also far less experienced than her SAC counterpart. Of course, she is still a calm, collected, and capable woman. After all, she’s still a fearless combatant and a superb hacker. But keep in mind that this was before she was in command of Section 9, so there’s an absence of leadership and cooperative qualities in her character. She clearly wants to be a lone wolf, though that’s impossible considering the military branch she’s tethered to. Being in the position she’s in, there are times when she must rely on her superiors instead of confidently calling the shots like she did in Stand Alone Complex. Her character still has aspects of her previous personality, yet it’s slightly altered and molded into a much younger Motoko that fits with the setting of this reboot.

The other characters aren’t really explored as well as Motoko. But it’s hinted that they’ve gotten the same treatment she did. Batou is still a tough and capable fighter, yet his brash and emotional side is hinted at with the “attack first, ask questions later” approach he takes when he thinks Motoko killed one of his partners. We are allowed to take a small peek in the lives of Pazu and Togusa during the movie as well. Togusa too doesn’t have much of the influence he had in GITS, and is frustrated over his treatment as a lowly detective.

The story stays consistent for the most part, but seems to be a bit more action oriented than the movie and SAC. However, this does not detract from the story too much. It follows the previous formula of “crazy mystery involving viruses and shady characters” but it’s told in an interesting enough fashion to keep you glued to the screen until the finale. This is due in part to wanting to know all about the rich world and these fascinating characters that parade across the screen.

GITS has always contained a fair amount of politics and philosophy. In Arise, these aspects are mostly dabbled in. Political conflicts and important bills that affect the world and characters are sort of briefly mentioned as an afterthought. The role of politics in the grand scheme of things isn’t actually revealed until the tail end of the movie. The questioning of one’s humanity is also not explored nearly as much as it was in the original film. This time around, it’s more like “what is real and what is not real” due to the mysterious virus affecting Motoko’s brain and altering her perception of reality. The story also ends a bit abruptly, leaving the viewer with quite a few questions.

This is forgivable for a couple of reason. The first Arise film is shorter than the original movie and far shorter than SAC. For a 60 minute film, they were able to stick in quite a bit of content, but obviously they couldn’t fit in everything. This is also only one of four films in the Arise saga. The full potential and scope of this reboot has yet to be seen. This is only the beginning.

Production I.G has outdone themselves with the art and animation in this movie. Every mech, every vehicle, every backdrop is given vivid color and detail. The fight scenes were given just as much attention, being fluid and sometimes a little over the top. The character designs have undergone some significant changes, with Motoko and Batou being changed the most. Almost everyone has less muscle definition, giving them a skinnier and more youthful appearance. Chief Aramaki looks closer to his character design in the original movie, albeit with no grey hair. Batou’s eyes and hair are different, while Motoko was given an almost complete overhaul. She is given a far more conservative look, with brighter and shorter hair. Those accustomed to the style of the movie, anime, or even the manga will probably be a bit taken aback by the altered character design. None of them are bad, but they do take some getting used too.

Arise isn’t completely on par with its juggernaut predecessors. But it’s still an immensely enjoyable film, a fine piece of animation, and a worthy addition to the Ghost in the Shell franchise.

It started strong, so let’s hope the rest of the Arise films can keep it going.

One of my first memories of anime really catching my attention for the first time was when I was about 10yrs old and I was in a video rental place and they had the original Ghost in the Shell movie playing on the TV. I was also obsessed with the Metal Gear Solid game for PS1 and something about what was on the screen just really struck a nerve. I immediately asked my dad to let me rent it, and my love of anime had begun. I had seen anime prior to that, but that was the first time I knew it was animation ... from Japan. I was hooked. Ghost in the Shell has remained one of my favorite series ever since, in fact not even considering just anime it is one of my favorite Sci-Fi series ever. So when I saw there was a new GitS I was happy to say the least, but also a bit skeptical.

Story(8): Overall I think the story was well done, it was very much like what I would expect from Ghost in the Shell. That being said, it wasn't amazing or anything, it was like a stand alone episode from SAC(which really isn't a bad thing). It also becomes clear early on that Kusanagi isn't with section 9 yet, and the story is basically her first encounter with them. I know a lot of people may have an issue with the backrounds of the characters not being the same as in SAC, but this is an alternate version and I don't see that as a negative. All the things that make Ghost in the Shell great are here and done well, espionage, realistic sci-fi elements, action. I was overall impressed with it.

Art(8): My first impressions from the trailers were that the animation was "ok". After watching the whole movie I have to admit the animation is very good. It does seem to not have quite as much detail as SAC or the original, but it shows a lot of promise during the action scenes and the details of the cyborgs. There's a certain scene where Kusanagi is in a fight and her limbs get ripped off slowly and her cyborg parts start to show, very reminiscent of the original film, and it looked great. As for the art style/character design changes, I wasn't as effected by them as I expected. I think they were very well done, just not what we're used to. I'm sure some people wont be able to get over this change though, for me it wasn't a big deal.

Sound(8): I usually don't have too much to say in this category, but Arise had good sound quality and voice acting. All the sound effects for guns, hacking/computer noises, cyborg noises, ext sounded great. The music was also rather good, although I've seen people saying they dislike it. I personally thought it was good. The voice acting is great, I believe the voice actors for most of the cast from the original 96' film returned to play their roles, although I admit I watched the dub of the original so that wasn't a big deal for me. They did a great job though.

Characters(8): The characters we already know pretty well, and while Kusangai seems to have a slightly different personality the rest of the crew seem very much like themselves. I know for some people "change=bad", but I got over it quickly and adapted to the slight differences in the new section 9 members. I will mention that some of the side characters were rather bland and not very memorable. I can't wait to see these new takes on the characters we love developed further in the next three movies.

Overall/Enjoyment(8): I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. More then I expected to, I expected it to be a decent Sci-Fi anime but not live up to the GitS name. It wasn't quite as good as SAC or the original, but it very possibly could manage to be in the next three movies. I really thought it was well done, and I was impressed with the action sequences and keeping the espionage moments interesting and on par with previous GitS outings. Overall, I could not be happier. This is exactly what I've wanted recently with there being a lack of good seinen anime. I can't wait for the next movie to come out.


I'm still fairly new to reviewing, so sorry if I'm not as professional as some of the people on here. I don't cover the plot much, because it's a 55min movie, just watch it. No point in just repeating the description in my opinion. Hope my review was helpful.

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| Ghost in the Shell : Arise - Ghost Pain |
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Sadly, this is not the Ghost in the Shell that we all know and love. Yes, it is indeed a dystopian future sci-fi movie with androids. Yes, it has the same characters, (or at least the same character names.) Let's dive in shall we?

-Story-

The story of the new Arise series isn't a sequel or prequel to the existing Ghost in the Shell franchise by Mamoru Oshii, instead it's called a "re-imagining" of its older brother.
Let's start with the world and atmosphere - it's gone.
It's not the atmosphere you would expect to see from a ... Ghost in the Shell movie. Being different is not inherently a bad thing, but in this case it's a step back, and the world feels like just another futuristic sci-fi movie. That Blade Runner style of atmosphere we all loved is gone. This has much to do with the visuals, such as the art style and the color palette they chose to go with. In the original Ghost in the Shell, the visuals did a major part in telling the story. Here, it's just bland.

Despite being a "re-imagining" , the movie does nothing to introduce the viewer to it's characters and it's world. Besides a few action scenes, I felt like nothing really happened. There are many tropes, like the main character not being able to differentiate reality and what she's seeing, and they could have utilized these better. Instead the story doesn't really go anywhere with them. It's not the type of story that's going to ask you a lot of questions or keep you awake.

-Characters-

Oh Major, what a shame they did to you.
As you would expect from a re-imagining, the traits of the characters are not the same as the original franchise. Instead what we got are some characters that are just -there-. You're not going to grow any emotional ties to these characters from watching the movie. There is no depth to any of the characters, as it feels that they are there simply to move the plot along and have some interactions with each other.
A real let down for me was how they handled Major Kusanaji. They stripped her of all her complexity. The Makoto who was struggling to feel human emotions and was struggling to explore what makes androids different from humans is not there. Instead the Arise version of Makoto is your generic main character. No inner conflicts, no depth, just a pretty face who fights. What a disappointment.


-Sound and Animation-

Again, very generic and painfully mediocre.
The mesmerizing music from the original is gone and replaced with generic music that I don't even remember how it sounded like, and that tells a lot. Animation and Art Style is good, nothing special but it's good. However, it does not fit the dystopian setting of the movie at all. It lacks the visual story telling and the set pieces the original contained. Again I was bitterly disappointed.

-Enjoyment-

Ha ha , I did not.

-Overall-

It wasn't an appalling experience, but when you hear Ghost in the Shell, you expect more than just a sci-fi action movie. I feel like this would have been better if they did not slap the "Ghost in the Shell" brand on it and made it it's own franchise.
If you're a Ghost in the Shell fan , you're going to be disappointed with this movie. Even if you're just looking for Sci-Fi action movie, there are much better movies. But if you're really bored and have nothing else to watch, this is a serviceable.

[Proofreading - SomeRandomNerd]

Disclaimer: As another reviewer said, splitting up the Arise-Border miniseries into separate parts is just silly. This will cover the entire thing.

So what is Arise-Border? What should have been a straight-forward "re-imagining" of the cult classic turned international favorite strays all too quickly within the first few minutes. Instead of giving us a faithful "re-telling" with our characters being better-developed (a short-coming of SaC) and the story being old-news, Arise-Border seems to want to be something else while knowing it can't. So, basically the odd child in the family nobody knows what to do with. Just nurture them or something.

Arise-Border is what I think the ... first part of the Arise "retelling" and it hits the ground stumbling. The first episode plods along uncertain of itself and how to invest its viewers while trying to tell the story of Makoto before she left her military unit to become an "independent contractor" aka join Section 9. My initial issue with Makoto in SaC was her being seemingly unstoppable, but still likable. This Makoto is so wonderfully incompetent it makes you wonder at points how anyone held her in high regard.

Batou and Togusa are here, but the "buddy cop" relationship hasn't even had the seed planted yet. We do see a younger, stubborn Togusa (although his character hasn't changed that much, has it?) still green as a detective and instead of the highly-regarded guy any police force would want, he comes off as more the only guy who actually uses his brain on the force. Batou on the other hand feels like the perfect amount of goofy and "big guy" which saves the main trio. Thank the forces of nature, too, because the other members only exist to have a moment of exposure and then fade back into the background.

I'll continue downing on the other stuff in a second, but I wanted to give the technical side of things some exposure. I mentioned in my SaC review that the music was fantastic and worth a listen; Arise-Border doesn't seem to know why. The opening is almost a lazy attempt at the beauty of Origa's voice mixed with some half-baked synth and I won't even go into the other stuff. I've said in another review that the music isn't what makes a series, but it can hurt it. Here, the absence of any music in some scenes is a Godsend. If a series doesn't know what its sound department is doing, leave the tracks that are supposed to stimulate the viewer as part of the whole, out.

The art is good, but the designs that aren't set-pieces are okay. Some scenes really feel pleasing to the eyes while others (like episode 4's fight scene in the lab) are hard to watch if only because of how disjointed and out-of-place they feel. Thankfully, the series doesn't do this too often and when it does, you can take some comfort in knowing those scenes won't last long.

The story itself is episodic and struggling to remain interconnected. The overarching plot is the "Fire Starter" virus that is affecting our post-modern military structure and causing false memories which lead to otherwise law-abiding persons to commit crimes. The first episode plays too much with the "what is real?" concept and loses sight before making a sharp U-turn back to the plot. The second episode does it better, but the last few minutes feel more like an attempt to recapture what SaC did right and run with it. Unfortunately, that "out of place" feeling comes back.

The third episode is really good in that it takes advantage of having what the previous two set up and adding to the main plot. While nothing is actually resolved, there is development for the major. Unfortunately, the next episode shows a kind of unnatural regression for her character. Huh.

Aramaki in this version is hard to watch. The cool, steely-eyed monkey-face is reduced to a begging old man chasing after a young body for her "talent". If I didn't know him to be the badass old guy from SaC, I would feel contempt for the character. Instead, this almost seems like a betrayal and the way he constantly demands Makoto and co join Section 9 is almost as painful to watch as the hard-headed major act like a bratty child who either gets her way or nobody can play with the ball.

Arise-Border isn't a GitS series in the traditional sense. What should have been a creative re-telling is instead a lopsided building the engineers painted in bright colors and straight-faced told everyone it had "personality". Look at it, take a picture, but don't invest too much in it.

I would summarize this movie as a blend of Stand Alone Complex and and an 80's detective movie. It's essentially a stand alone episode you might find in the series with alot more color and the new style that comes with the reboot. In this review I am going to talk of what I think about the first episode of this new GiTS film series, and the direction the reboot is taking.

Ghost in the Shell is not a series that is new to reboots. Almost every other installment in the franchise is in someway a retcon of the original work, or a work based on ... the original work. Because of this, saying "I like Ghost in the Shell" is no longer a very specific statement, the series is very wide reaching in its themes as well as general content. Although both very well done in my opinion, the stand alone complex series and the original film are almost black and white, not even going into the much different manga. When I heard that GiTS was being rebooted into another installment, and I saw the Major's redesign, right away my hipster sense had activated and I passed it off as another modernized money grab and a waste of time. Luckily for me, my quick judgment was quite off from reality.

You can think of this reboot as somewhat of a prequel to Stand Alone Complex. It has been confirmed both internally and externally that is not the same canon, but they are both very similar in presentation and general state of affairs. Due to this, Arise has much more in common with the cop mystery in episodes of SAC then the film series. That is to say, you will not find existential science fiction philosophy and the deep boots nature of the original film. Arise is done under the pretense of a look at the characters of SAC and what they did before they became the elite unit of Section 9. Arise stars the younger, redesigned Motoko revolves around her solving a mystery around the same time that she first meets Section 9. Significant changes to the Major's character became apparent directly and indirectly. Upon starting this film, the first thing viewers will notice is that the Motoko that stars this movie not only looks younger, she also sounds much younger than her previous iterations. The younger voice and stuff is an obvious hint that Motoko is not as strong or as in control as she was in the other mediums, that she is not quite as mature or dominant as an investigator either. This is the first spin on things that makes Arise stand out from what would basically just be a stand alone episode of SAC. At first I didn't particularly enjoy the more girly Major, but 15 minutes in you accept it as the character dynamic the film under its new direction is going for.

The first episode of Arise's plot is something like this. A Lt. Col who was the leader of a special unit has been blown up by a bot, and oddly enough Motoko is part of this "Unit 501." She goes off trying to solve the case, running into Section 9's Daisuke Amaragi for the first time in the process. In lieu of a typical SAC subplot, things are definitely not as simple as they look on the surface. The Major starts to uncover a huge military conspiracy related to herself in the process of the investigation, and the film visits the recurring theme of Motoko's cyborg issues with that. Not going to go into too much more detail with the plot. The story of Ghost Pain left a good impression on me. It was interesting, short enough, and rife with unexpected plot twists, but not deus ex machinas like in Solid State Society. Although interesting, and interesting from the get go to long term GiTS fans, it really isnt much more than a typical mystery. There are mysteries that go beyond what is typical, we've seen this in other entries of GiTS such as GiTS 2: Innocence. It's not a bad plot by any means, its not even really average considering what the average plot is. I just think that, taken at face value, there are some SAC episodes that are more creative. This is just one part of what Arise is though, its not just about what the story was, but how its executed with this rebuilt style, and that was the best part about Ghost Pain. Ghost Pain felt like a super high budget SAC episode. Everything was colorful, action packed, and generally really cool. I want people to know that Ghost in the Shell has not been dumped down from anything Solid State Society was, so if you think there will be vast infodumps, you will not find them. The action in particular was very good in this installment. Cyborg combat has always been fast and heavy in GiTS series, and the animators took it to town.

Its unfortunate that we saw almost nothing of the rest of Section 9. Ghost Pain basically stars Motoko and only Motoko. Other members of Section 9, even the major ones like Batou and Togusa, their appearances can hardly be called anything but cameos. They offer almost nothing to the overall story, and see no character development at all. There is so little screentime to Batou and Togusa I could not even confirm if there were any changes in their personalities over their original incarnations. You would think that a reboot with an emphasis on redesigned and differently presented characters would have an emphasis on said characters, but that does no occur. All attention is on The Major, and unfortunately this doesn't really work out in the character department. We see some bits of subplot over the Major's tragic past that leads into a complex about her cyborg body, but no this is nothing new to the Ghost in the Shell series. Compared to the character dynamics of the Major you see in the latter parts of 2nd Gig, SSS, and of course the original film, Ghost Pain achieves so little it can hardly hold a candle to them in this category. I however, do keep in mind that theres only so much a 1 hour introduction film can do, so there is some degree of holding out you should have before you start to see these things.

Yoko Kano and Kenji Kawai are out, and the film suffers because of it. No memorable music in this film.

GiTS Arise: Ghost Pain is 7/10 introduction to this new GiTS series. Great action, a good story, and alright characters await new and old Ghost in the Shell fans who watch this rather shiny but not superficial entry. I am looking forward to the next film in the series and have high expectations.

a prelude to the sac series, the arise ova fills in a much needed gap between the gits films and the sac series. However, story remains dense with its political fodder. Characterization is emphasized more so than the SAC series which helps to newcomers. Veterans of the series will feel they are treading similar water but will feel at home in the gits world. There can never be enough GITS it's a fascinating series that continues to intrigue even after it's release in the 90s. However, The arise series is nothing new and doesn't expand the overall gits world. It plays it safe to not ... taint the previous film masterpieces and fits in well as a compliment to the SAC series. There comes a time though where fans may grow tired of the same themes and characters. GITS is an immersive world and it would be more refreshing to have new characters, themes, and plot developments outside of the SAC unit. GITS Arise has a revised art style and I for one am not a big fan of the new look angst emo haircut on her LOL. Regardless, the show is worth checking out if you are interested in the GITS films or tv series and has a much improved follow up episode on Border 2.

The Ghost in the Shell Franchise is known for crimes that exceed the complexity of most Anime of this kind by far. It keeps provoking thoughts about the series in every movie and every episode, with mostly unpredictable plot twists making it a really good franchise. The newest part of it, being Ghost in the Shell: Arise, is the prequel to everything else.

Story: The Story is set in the year 2027. A high military high ranked man gets murdered in the streets and Kusanagi Motoko who was his subordinate wants to take it over. The movie follows her solving the crime, but soon enough she ... herself is getting suspected...
In total the story is not engaging as earlier GitS crimes, such as the laughing man, but still has some really good twists.
8/10

Characters: The cast pretty much consists of the later Section 9 shown in the other franchise parts and centers around the coming together of them. They didn't really get a lot of depht in this movie, but considering how much it was in the other movies that is not that bad for people who already watched the other parts, but for someone that is new to the franchise, by now I wouldn't tell to watch this first. There are for more Borders on the way though, so maybe we'll see that in later parts.
7/10

Art: The Animation of Arise is done by the same studio who produced every single other GitS part, which was Production I.G. They did another really good job at this and that was what the made the action scenes really cool. The new character design of the Major was a bit unusual if you've seen earlier parts, but once you got used to it it was fine.
9/10

Sound: The thing I liked the least about Ghost in the Shell: Arise, was the soundtrack. Everything fit and so on, but it never did give me the feel of the show that Kanno Yoko and Kawai Kenji gave me. The voiceacting was good as always.
5/10

Enjoyment: Arise was everything but not flawless. But in total the movie was done fairly well. With a story that can confuse and excite you at the very same time I really enjoyed watching it.
7/10

Total: 7.5/10

it's been a while since we last saw the major and Public Security Section 9
to long if if you ask me so you can imagine how excited i was when i first
heard about ghost in the shell arise the The four part series that takes place
years before the events of the first movie.

in this series we get to see a whole new side to motoko kusanagi as a younger less self confident version of herself she's still displays the same stone cold demeanor that makes her such a good protagonist at the same time she also displays strong emotions mainly derived from her ... troubled past and childhood.

without going into much detail and giving away spoilers the series takes place just as the major first meets aramaki and Section 9 and begins to help them on a case they are working on.

overall this first part of this four part OVA series is very well done although I may not
like subd anime that much I can appreciate it for what it is it is well done addition to the ghost in the shell series with amazing sound the characters with no one love and the iconic cyberpunk and futuristic story that rivals that of many others.

They finally finished dubbing all of these right under my nose late last year. The original release dates got delayed suspiciously close to when it was revealed the Arise movies would be reworked into a TV series. If I were on the production team for the dub that’d certainly kill my spirits, but I’m glad they saw the project through to the end because I’m so used to watching Ghost in the Shell dubbed. That doesn’t count for much this time, though. Unfortunately, the original voice cast has been completely replaced. A pointless endeavor since the new cast tries their hardest to imitate the old ... only to fall short because of the simple fact it’s not the same person. The “uncanny valley”-ness of the new voices makes the dub job more than just a little weaker. It reminds you of when things were better. This latest Ghost in the Shell series does that in general.

I’m not being pessimistic, just making an observation and calling it as I see fit. I’m not greedy enough to expect multiple five star meals from the Ghost in the Shell franchise. If Arise is indicative of the general quality the franchise Is going to be from here on after having played its trump cards, that’s a pretty good deal. The Arise team did a great job at creating a reboot with an original story that feels perfectly in place in the GitS world thematically and stylistically. The changes are ultimately minor and none of the franchise’s integrity has been lost. It really is just more Ghost in the Shell. The only question is how it stacks up the old.

Perhaps the most unique thing about the Arise continuity and its greatest hook for old GitS fans is that it attempts an origin story for Section 9 where its most well-known members haven’t joined yet. The previous anime didn’t really attempt an origin. I didn’t have a problem with that approach, as Ghost in the Shell’s “in media res” approach to storytelling is one of my favorite things about its writing. You got to piece together the greatest world in science fiction by yourself, and the satisfaction of doing so accompanied with how well it all genuinely worked together was immense. The lack of exposition and origin detail made the already plausible universe not feel contrived, and it made an immersive experience that only gave you new information.

Arise has a similar respect for its audience’s intelligence, but at this point I feel like it’s expecting them to already understand the technology and various mechanisms of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. This means it has a better excuse for withholding information than Mamoru Oshii’s movie, but it also means it’s still an inferior starting point to Stand Alone Complex which finds the running time to allow the viewer to fully adjust to the world while being able to follow the stand-alone plots well enough to not be bored. I actually found Arise’s first episode, Ghost Pain, to be the hardest to follow Ghost in the Shell story yet. Not in a good way that hints at complexity, though. Just a few moments of “how did that character make that connection and why are they doing what they’re doing?”. By the end I felt like I had a grip on things, but if I cared to look closer after uncovering the mystery I worry some of the scenes would’ve genuinely been poorly written. Again, it’s the plot that’s obscure this time, not the terminology. Which is a problem I don’t remember having before.

These frustrating moments didn’t ruin the experience for me at least. The year this time is 2027 which I think is the earliest year Ghost in the Shell has ever been placed (how do they now think it’s going to take even less time to reach this technology?). Motoko Kusanagi returns to solve the murder behind one of her superiors. She has a run-in with Section 9 and decides to form a suspicious alliance with their chief, Daisuke Aramaki. Motoko is more of a central character this time around than any Ghost in the Shell work since the original Oshii movie. I find this to be somewhat disappointing, as I always thought Batou and Togusa were better characters and they’re barely featured here. Motoko is great, but I always saw her as more of a symbol for Ghost in the Shell’s themes than a distinct human being. I’ve accepted that her seeming lack of humanity is intentional, a representation of GitS’s highly networked world through a person whose sense of self is impressed on by communicating with others in order to form a whole or a desire to move past individual consciousness altogether. Still, I’ve never found herself that compelling. Part of this is also deliberate as her backstory has been kept extremely hidden, but regardless that’s how I feel. Batou and Togusa are more empathetic.

And yet, they do their part to make Motoko’s past a more important thing than it’s ever been due to the fact that this new series’ central theme is identity and memory manipulation. A fantastic idea as GitS has always been focused on existential philosophy and this explores the possible implication of its unique cyber brain technology. It’s a new focus for the franchise that’s completely attuned with its usual interests, and it’s directly linked to its setting. I certainly find it preferable to 2nd Gig going over the Stand Alone Complex theory again and downplaying its direct relationship with the unique technology through a 1:1 post-9/11 geopolitics metaphor and commentary.

I found the production qualities to be about the same level as the Stand Alone Complex series, if not a little bit better (as it should be, since it’s a movie). There’s some frame-skipping during movement but nothing that bad, and although this installment features more action than I care for it features great fight choreography. Use of CG is either subtle on the characters during action scenes or it doesn’t stand out in the environment as with the usual Tachikomas, which is good. The soundtrack is handled by a musician called Cornelius this time around. He’s nowhere close to the level of Yoko Kanno – absolutely nothing got stuck in my head which may be the most disappointing aspect of this release but otherwise his glitchy IDM at least suits the setting and theme of electronic mind corruption. Another thing that’s always drawn me to Ghost in the Shell that I’m sure no one else cares about as much is the impeccable city design and cinematography. Every landscape shot of the city in this franchise takes my breath away and is enough for me to always keep my eyes locked on the screen. Arise keeps that trend up perfectly. I’d love to live in the Ghost in the Shell universe. The one we’re in now already has just as bad political corruption anyway.

Now it’s time to talk about the revised character designs. I feel the same way as I do about the voice cast change: why bother? The character designs are close enough to the old ones to not really feel like a difference, so it’s just irritating how it’s slightly off and thinks that’s enough to be called innovation. We didn’t need new character designs, and if we did these sure as hell wouldn’t cut it. Motoko has taken the biggest hit, now being a much younger girl. People’s complaints about this have been reasonable because Motoko’s character design is largely why she stands out and is so impressionable. It’s precisely because the heroine in an anime isn’t a teenage girl for once and is instead a full-grown adult who’s mature and capable of taking charge and succeeding at any task like a true elite. Arise’s Motoko is still largely the same personality (as are the other characters), but her character design no longer reflects that. And yes, it’s reasonable to assume that this was an attempt to attract a wider audience because the reason old Motoko stood out was for reasons that are also why her type of character design isn’t more popular in Japan. They like younger characters. For whatever the reason, there’s no way around it. And teen Motoko still finds plenty of excuses to run around in her underwear or browse around cyberspace naked, even if her tits and ass are smaller. This has always bothered me because it’s like the show is pretending it’s above fanservice with its intelligence but ultimately finding (not-so) subtle ways to fit it in anyway. Whatever, I’m used to it by now.

I’m not sure yet what the remaining episodes of Arise have in store or if it’ll get better in the story department, but my expectations were met. Above all else it’s just great to see more Ghost in the Shell. If the franchise continues being handled this well then I’m fine with a lifetime of mostly the same-old, same-old.

Well as a GITS fan I had to watch this. I didn't expect much from this. I really loved the original first film. The series and other films were not bad either. Who wouldn't fall in love with Motoko right? :D

Anyway, this piece was not that bad in the end. It was really interesting to see what happened before all the things in films etc. How Motoko met young Aramaki (well, younger than in the films and series, he has still brown hair here O_O) and the rest of her future team.

I really appreciated that they draw all the characters according to the first film ... and even used the same voice actors if possible. I liked major more with her body from SAC more though. Nevertheless it was really nice to bring back my memories and feeling from the time I watched the first movie, few years ago.

The result is, everyone who is GITS fan should watch this. It is not crap, not masterpiece either but decent piece of GITS franchise.

BTW: Nice action scenes and fights. Mmmm Motoko is even more deadly in her younger version :D.

The most common complaint I see about Arise is that it isn't Stand Alone Complex, it's not consistent with SAC, and it doesn't capture the same feel. This is all true. Arise is a different timeline, a different spin on section 9 and while it may act as Section 9's origin story, and it is, but not one consistent with SAC. Know this as you watch it.

The second is Motoko Kusanagi's character design. This is a bit more valid, as the major is one of the most memorable and iconic characters in cyberpunk, and probably all of anime.

I liked both SAC and Arise, and ... will inevitably need to draw a few comparisons. But, this isn't about SAC, it's about Arise, so onto the review.

Setting
The first part of Arise is set in, you guessed it, near future Tokyo, well, it's actually a fictional city called Newport, but it might as well be Tokyo for all intents and purposes. However, the setting differs from usual cyber punk fare by looking almost like a typical modern city. Apart from a decent amount of technological integration, Newport City of Arise is nearly identical to the Tokyo (or any other modern city) of any anime set in a present day city. I feel this is more realistic. Consider the change in cityscape from 20 years ago. Skyscrapers are taller, lights are brighter, touch screens are more prevalent, but aside from that, the Star Wars-esque spires and Vibrant LED lighting portrayed in 80s future fantasies are as distant as ever. It's understated setting is fitting for an anime that plays off of GitS themes but tones down the "cyber" aspect of cyberpunk. Many may dislike this because it doesn't feel futuristic, but the setting design is well done for the most part, especially in th fight sequences.

The major's character design is similarly believable. No large purple hair or tights. I get her design in SAC and I like it, but I don't think that changing it devalued the franchise or her character, in fact, I preferred it, allow me to elaborate. The SAC Motoko is the boss. She has her own team, she's skilled in cyber warfare, and she can get what she wants despite the labyrinth of bureaucracy involved in conducting covert operations. Her character design exemplifies this, the fact that she chooses to remain female despite being able to change into a male body (which we learn from Batou is advantageous in several ways), tells us that choosing her appearance is important to her.

The Motoko of Arise is not the Motoko of SAC. She isn't the boss of anything, she's skilled in combat and espionage due to her cyborg and training body, but it's unit 501 property, she doesn't own anything, not even her body. But considering how little control she seems to have in her life, the major manages to pursue the case of her murdered commanding officer, which the government seems to be going to great lengths to cover up. The lack of control in her life is expanded upon with the core theme of the first part of Arise, identity and the nature of memory in a society that allows both of those things to be manipulated through technology. Our memories, while not infallible, are undeniably our own, what happens when they can be translated into computer data? Data that can be changed, erased, replaced. It's by no means a theme new to the GitS franchise, but I feel it was better explored in Arise than anywhere else.

Arise - Border:1 is a slow burning mystery, and also the prequel to section 9's formation, although Border:2 focuses more on the latter. Beginning with the investigation for Motoko Kusanagi's CO's killer. She arrives in Japan to receive a package, apparently from her CO. Shortly after arriving, Kusanagi witnesses Arimaki, the baboon himself, digging up the grave of the man she's supposed to investigate. Summarizing the plot is not the point of this but what follows is a truly epic action sequence that has raised the bar for what I view is "good" action direction and fight choreography. I'll get to this in a bit. The mystery comes not only from Kusanagi trying to unravel a military cover-up but also from battling the cyborg related ailments she incurs on her mission. The phantom pain allows her back story to be explored in a way that feels natural and presents us with one of the problems of the era's technology, how does phantom pain affect cyberized people? One of the primary reasons I liked Arise so much was that it chose one core issue to focus most of it's time on, and developed it wonderfully. Stand Alone Complex is loaded with philosophical ideas and a more engaging story, but I have to say I like the focus in Arise. I can't say more without spoiling it so...

Action:
Arise contains the best action scenes in any anime I have seen to date. Even if you're among the crowd who thinks Arise is an insult to the GitS franchise, I believe that it's worth watching for the action alone. I can count the number of times on one hand that a fight scene left me in a state of awe and Arise tops that short list. The animation of the characters, the physics, it's perfect. Later battles with another cyborg showcase what you can do with superhuman strength and a body that doesn't feel pain. Cybernetic bodies give amazing creative license for self destructive fighting and the animators capitalized on this brilliantly. Cyberwarfare is integrated seamlessly into the fight sequences so you know what's going on even when hand to hand combat and hacking are being used simultaneously.

Character Design:
The major sports red jump suit and a realistically proportioned body. Granted, she's a cyborg, so she can look like, and wear, whatever she wants, but her character design in Arise fits her personality and position very well. SAC Motoko would simply be awkward had she simply been transplanted into Arise. Arimaki looks more realistic as well. He still has the baboon features, but he looks like he could be an actual person. As for Batou and the rest of the crew, they're designs are largely unchanged, but certainly lower quality. Batou looks a bit pudgy, Borma's a marshmellow, and Togusa looks like he was made on Mii creator.

Aesthetic:
It's toned down compared to most cyberpunk, but I like it. It's atmospheric where it needs to be and the Major's 'cyberspace' is reminiscent of SAC while still being consistent with the overall style. The screens everpresent in fictional cyberspace aren't terribly cheesy either.

Characters:
I've gone into this a bit, but there are some characters that deserve to be brought up. Pazo actually receives screen time. He's not terribly developed and serves a Deus Ex Machina moment at one point but it's nice to see him in action for once. The other members of 501 (Kusanagi's unit) are much more obviously augmented. They would stand out like a sore thumb in any public space but seem to trade an innocuous appearance for brute strength. They mainly serve to show the major's relationship with her unit, to help us understand why she is so driven to solve her CO's murder, and of course, the subjects of excellent fight scenes.

Arise seems to bank on it's viewers watching SAC beforehand, because none of the characters are given too much depth or characterization apart from Saito in Border 2. It relies on you having an idea of what these characters are like already which is kind of a significant flaw given that I think hardcore GitS fans might actually be less likely to enjoy Arise.

Sound Design:
Absolute perfection. I wouldn't necessarily add any of the tracks to my favorite songs list, but that's not the purpose of the score. Every track fits seamlessly into the scene it's set too. It's never outrageously dramatic and the quirky techno fight tracks, as well as the opening song, are some of the most memorable ones I've heard simply by virtue of how much they add to the atmosphere. I watched this with a friend and several times we both commented to each other just how good the OST is. The sound effects are noticeably good as well,a rare occurrence.

I loved Arise because I viewed within it's own context. While it's impossible for a fan of the GitS franchise NOT to compare it with SAC, I was able to enjoy it as it's own work.

Full disclosure: I like anime with a clean narrative, witty dialogue, enthralling visuals, and clear direction. I really wanted to favorite this variant of GITS, but alas, my search continues

Story: 5. This is really what really let me down about the GITS Arise series. It might just be that I'm thickheaded, but I feel like the narrative is needlessly complicated. What is equally disappointing is that the convoluted story detracts from my ability to take in the (IMHO) beautiful animation that shrouds the narrative. Well crafted TV and anime shows each episode should have both elements of discontinuity (entertainment value without watching prior episodes) ... and continuity (value added as bonus for those who invested in previous episodes). GITS Arise prevails in the former, but fails to reward the latter.

Art: 9. Simply beautiful art and CG. Wish there was a bit more action, but the art is well done.

Sound: 9. I usually fast forward intros, but the opening song is so cute, catchy, and contextual to the whole cyber hacking/crime/technology theme that I have watched the intro 2x now! Great sound. Otherwise, the music within the anime is typical.

Characters: 5. There is very little character development. Perhaps it is because they are robots and don't evolve, learn, make mistakes, bruise, and heal like humans. In other words, the characters are not relate-able. In addition, I feel like the writers focus their efforts on crafting an elaborate conspiracy scheme, that character development takes a backseat.

Enjoyment: 5. Action, decent. Animation, great. Story and characters, blah. The story and characters fuel an enjoyable anime. I will find my enjoyment elsewhere

Still looking for a Bladerunner-esk anime to sink my teeth into. Till then, the quest continues...

Do note that this review covers all four episodes of Ghost in the Shell Arise as a whole. That being said, on the review.

Ghost in the Shell Arise is another spinoff of the Ghost in the Shell series franchise that bases its setting around the time that Section 9 officially formed and features the group tackling a series of crimes in each OVA episode that involve hacking of cyberbrains in some form. While maintaining the same themes of earlier Ghost in the Shell anime with corrupt political elements and debating the nature of one's humanity if they heavily convert their body into a machine, the ... different continuity leads to some interesting differences in character chemistry and personality. For instance, Motoko's more brash character leads her relationship with members of Section 9 to be different in comparison to earlier takes on the character as she is defiant of Aramaki's authority, will press Batou's buttons with her cyber-hacking skills and can usually find herself biting more than she can chew when dealing with cyberhacking threats due to inexperience in the field. Also, the time frame for the series is before Togusa's daughter was born which the series alludes to as he was still a police detective before joining Section 9 later in the series. Beyond this though, the majority of Section 9 get shafted in regards to any character focus as Arise is more focused on Motoko's perspective on any of the cases that she tackles.

In regards to plot, Arise mostly focuses on the gradual formation of Section 9 through the different cyber-hacking crimes that they have to thwart. Each episode dabbles into the typical themes of the GitS franchise as I covered with Motoko and the remainder of Section 9 trying to figure out and resolve the threat from each case. While this exploration helps to attract Ghost in the Shell to more recent anime fans, all the cases that Section 9 tackle are self-contained in each episode and the lack of an ongoing plot like what Stand Alone Complex offered in the 2000s makes Arise lose a good deal of the intrigue and depth that came with Section 9 being challenged in handling cyberhacking crimes and questioning the state of their country's political and military system when uncovering more corrupt elements to both through the investigation of any cases they dabble into.

Presentation-wise, Arise offers excellent visual quality as it sports highly detailed settings and character designs, notable examples being heavy mechs and Arise's version of the Tachikomas used as Stand Alone Complex's unofficial mascots. Movement is consistently fluid throughout the OVA's run as action sequences are nicely animated and net-diving scenes are just as much of a visual experience as they were from seeing Stand Alone Complex over a decade earlier. In regards to music, Arise chooses to utilize electronica tracks for many of its scenes and these clash rather poorly with the show's themes and action scenes due to their underwhelming mood.

Overall, Ghost in the Shell Arise makes for a decent addition to the franchise as it offers some new takes on Motoko and the members of Section 9 while introducing its themes to new anime fans who got their start in the 2010s. The more episodic format of its storytelling does lead the majority of Section 9 to get shafted in focus and the lack of an ongoing plot may turn off those who enjoyed Stand Alone Complex. But with what it offers, it is still a good time-killer for action anime fans or diehard Ghost in the Shell fans.

Just like the rest of Ghost, his movie feels really average.
I'm not sure why people like it so much.
Its not even a satisfying mystery plot.
It suffers from a lot of generic anime cliches. MC with amnesia, obvious plot twist characters (with silly hair cuts), constantly explaining what we're seeing as we're being shown it.

The biggest problem is that the whole plot feels completely un-signposted, which kills any mystery. Since the main character can't rely on her own memories and nothing ever hints at that INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT CLUE. Because of this warped perception multiple scenes are highly confused. Are they flashbacks to REAL memories? New scenes ... that are highly similar? Things are so rushed its impossible to tell.

To try and put some kind of bow on this ramble, the whole movie feels rushed. It feels like one of those god awful Michael Bay movies that got written during that big writers strike, when all they had to go off was a bad first draft.