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Nov 12, 2013 4:25 AM

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Wind_Falcon said:
It's strange to see I'm the only one from 97 people that scored this first OVA as "1 out of 5: Hated it". Can't believe any fan can think of Arise as anything but a cash-in garbage made by people that have virtually no understanding of what is and makes GitS a masterpiece in cyberpunk.


While I am sure most GiTS fans agree, the same people probably still have hope that it will get better and Episode 1 was just an introduction.
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Nov 16, 2013 6:19 PM

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Welp, apologies to those who found no joy in it, but I liked it. It's not perfect, the animation is a bit off in spots and the music is pretty unnoticeable (which might be good or bad depending on your take) and character-wise, it will hopefully show development over the rest of the episodes, but I'm hooked enough to be optimistic about the rest of the movies/episodes. I get the feeling it's trying to take the best aspects of the movies and the series and rework them into its own continuity, which may or may not work to its advantage. We'll see.

For those who dislike it so much, I suggest removing the label "Ghost in the Shell" from the whole thing, step back from your expectations, and decide whether you dislike it because it's not the continuity of your preference, or because you really did not like it. It's fine to dislike something, but it's not fine to do so just because it doesn't fit into the box you want it to. Most of you are right, does it come off as the best of Ghost in the Shell? No. But it still stands on its own two feet, and I for one, want to see what it does.
ZenClaireNov 16, 2013 6:23 PM
Nov 18, 2013 11:02 PM

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Hmm it seems her team in Section 9 isn't assembled yet.

Her red motorbike reminds me of the one Shotaro used in Akira. XD Anyway the major's laptop was an ASUS while Aramaki drives an Infiniti, product placements? >_<

Questions and more questions! Why does have mobile landmine have to look like a little girl? For camouflage? Who are the parents the cyber diagnostic and maintenance unit was talking about, she said farewell to two caskets, maybe that was the doctor and Lt. Col. Mamuro in the picture?

Ah the poor Logicoma was languishing in the parking lot... putting child-like voices on them really endears them to you even though though they can be lethal killing machines in their own. I suddenly remember and miss the blue tachikomas from the past series. :( 7/10
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Nov 24, 2013 8:52 AM
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ZenClaire said:
For those who dislike it so much, I suggest removing the label "Ghost in the Shell" from the whole thing, step back from your expectations, and decide whether you dislike it because it's not the continuity of your preference, or because you really did not like it. It's fine to dislike something, but it's not fine to do so just because it doesn't fit into the box you want it to. Most of you are right, does it come off as the best of Ghost in the Shell? No. But it still stands on its own two feet, and I for one, want to see what it does.

If I pretend this is not Ghost in the Shell (which is extremely stupid, because it is) what I get is something on the level of the writer's previous project - Mardock Scramble (though without question, a bit better). And there is a reason why I've watched only The First Compression - because its garbage.

Like I already said, ARISE is a bad addition to the franchise because the creators have no idea what makes GitS (as a whole) a masterpiece in the first place. Hint: its not the politics and setting, its not the police/detective action, it's not the sci-fi elements by themselves either, like most people that don't get GitS think its about. If GitS was a painting, all these things would be the background - all very important, but not the essential part of what the artist is trying to show the viewer. There is a reason why cyberpunk fans love this franchise - because at it's center GitS is about existentialism, what it means to be human at the center of a man-machine-information symbiosis. Oshii's movies revolve around this concept, everything else is "spice" (each movie tackles this from a different perspective - the first one from a character/individual perspective, the second one from a more novel/philosophical one). Kamiyama Kenji's SAC is more spicy, but again offers a new (episodic, everyday if you will) perspective at looking at this central theme. ARISE is all spice. Getting false memories and the government being in possession of your cybernetic body are merely passing mentions and plot points around which the police/army sci-fi action can revolve around. They are not explored, and they get resolved through said action. Do I really have to explain to GitS fans that this is exactly the opposite of how the other installments work (namely philosophical questioning and a conclusion deliberately left without solid answers, made in a way for the viewer to think about not what happened to the characters, but what it means for them personally)? The appeal of GitS has never been future noir. All the installments before ARISE are made to give you a different perspective on all the hard cyberpunk questions, and leave you thinking. Not waiting for the next "exciting action filled sci-fi episode"...

And I'm not even go in-depth about how the creators' ignorance concerning GitS showed even before the airing of this episode, with the changing of the voice actors and a focus on a younger cast of characters (how is Motoko even young? In all iterations, even the manga, its been implied to different degrees that she is actually QUITE old, maybe even older than Arakami, thanks to her full cyborg augmentation). With all I've said, it should be obvious how all this is again detrimental to the central theme of the previous iterations, and would have never been done if the new creators had even basic understanding of GitS.
Wind_FalconNov 25, 2013 10:22 AM
Nov 25, 2013 4:57 AM

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This was actually better than I expected. I's always nice to see your expectations beaten. I still don't know if I like the art style, especially Motoko's new look but I think I'll live with it. The music however...sigh, I don't think I will get used to it especially after the fantastic scores of GitS SAC 1/2.

Enough of that though, on to the actual content. It seems we got a look into the Major's past, how she never had a human body and how she first met aramaki/paz. This series seems to be overly Kusanagi centric at this point, I wonder if we'll get to see more of the other members of section 9 (severe lack of Batou this episode). In any case, looking forward to the gang getting back together. We already know who the 6 members are going to be :)

Arqentum said:

It is pretty much obvious for anyone who watched GITS that this crap is terrible and have nothing in common with original.
Have fun watching awful generic cyberpunk without a single philosophical undertone and lack of in-universe logic.
But hey, they've got Motoko in bra in one ova more times than in two seasons and movies combined!


While I'm here, your two favourite anime (if your favourite section is to be believed) is Code Geass R2 (not even R1, the better of the two seasons although they're really both train wrecks but R1 is fun to watch) and Clannad. Do you take pride in being the master of shit taste?
loghneckbeardNov 25, 2013 5:03 AM
Dec 3, 2013 10:09 PM

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So after rewatching this I realized this wasn't really as good as I thought from when I first rewatched it.
Dec 5, 2013 7:10 AM

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liked the music for the most part, the animation, the fact that it is an origin story to section 9 as a whole

not a fan of motoko's new story


considering it is not labeled as a prequel that retcons S.A.C but a different reality in a sense i guess i am fine with it. as it stands on its own it was pretty good, nothing like SAC but i did not expect it to be as good.

i guess 3+ because it was well done but it is just missing something aside from old motoko ;(
xSanoxDec 5, 2013 7:28 AM
Dec 11, 2013 11:17 AM

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kawaruka said:
EratiK said:
akerameneh said:
I still didn't get this part fully, can someone please read the spoiler box and clarify for me? thank you

So the government illegaly sold weapons in the past. A foreign power learned it and tried to incriminate Japan since its illegal. For some reason the foreign power decided to frame lieutenant Mamuro to make the scandal public (maybe because the minister was too high protected). But Mamuro saw he was getting framed, and wanted to bring the minister (the real illegal arm seller) down with him. But that would have discredited the whole 501 unit, so the minister and unit 501 agree to put the blame on Mamuro, while killing him (perfect cover-up). As did the foreign power, but the foreign power wanted to use a virus then blow him up (so no proof of foreign manipulation), but unit 501 got the mine and the brain, thus proving the enemy plot in case anything went public. In the aftermath, only the spies who knew about the fake bribe to Mamuro went to retrieve the money (again to erase proof of foreign manipulation).

Basically it was either to let Mamuro die quickly with the virus, or going public and think other and slower countermeasures. Motoko was involved because Mamuro trusted her to help investigate as soon as she returned, but she was almost framed too (since she had the same virus) and once again if it's a rogue Motoko that killed Mamuro, the foreign power eludes responsability.


Thanks very very much for your awesome explanation man... now I understand it all thanks to you~ cheeers~~! so the foregin power or the enemy wasn't going to kill him, but just implement him with the virus and make him go public with the information, but when they saw that unit 501 and the vice-minister were very close in the investigations to mamuro, they were afraid they were gonna discover their interference with mamuro's brain, so they decided to kill him as well by blowing him up so that no one can know that he was infected by them ? thanks again man


Wait, was it mentioned that the false memories created by the firestarters could be controlled?

Anyway I don't think Unit 501 was directly involved with killing Mamuro. It seemed more like they knew of the intention to kill him but they just sat on the sidelines.
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Jan 27, 2014 10:34 PM
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tachiKC said:
I had no idea this was a thing, and lo and behold I check my fav anime site and there it is. Watched it right away. For all of the haters on here, I can see why they feel like it isn't the same or "bad" even, but c'mon son. I enjoyed it immensely, not quite as much as SAC granted, but then again that show is among my favorite shows of all time.

Music/animation/etc I've never really been a big stickler over (unless it's complete and utter crap). To me, all of the different elements flowed together quite nicely. Music still had a classic GitS feel, more subdued perhaps and not as epic as some of the amazing songs from SAC or its movies, but hey, not all animes can have music by Yoko Kanno. Also, I felt that the animation was fine. About on par with SAC, and while some could say it could have been "better" due to being an OVA, it's really not much different from other OVA's I've seen.

Character designs to me were pretty much all the same as previous iterations, except of course Motoko, Batou, and Aramaki. I enjoyed Motoko's new look tbh. While the SAC version was more in line with Shirow's original vision, I think that the less "sexy" version fits in line with the likes of the first movie. I feel like it's something someone would actually wear. Batou looked like a younger version of himself, same with Aramaki, so those I had no qualms with either.

I get the feeling that people are just trying to find things to not like about the anime when they should just be enjoying it for what it is. A new awesome installment in a great series.


Pretty much agree with this, it was really good though not equal to the awesomeness of SAC.

The_Steward said:
Just watched my copy of the Blu-ray. It did have the GITS feel, though the only thing i thought was strange was how the characters were animated, the backgrounds were really high quality but the characters themselves didn't feel like they were up to those standards (although how it was done did remind my of the first GITS movie which i liked). Overall though, i rated it 9/10.
For me its not going to totally feel like GITS until the full team is working on some difficult case, i hope there is something like that in one of the movies.


Yeah on that note I think it especially felt more and more like it as it went along and ofcourse as more of the team gradually showed up in their previous jobs before they came together and the atmosphere was recognizable, Aramaki's first appearance was something for example that I know made me feel at home. Yeah, I really hope at least the fourth movie if not by the third is the full team working together on a new case for the first time as a full group.

DangerMouseDMJan 28, 2014 2:39 PM
Mar 28, 2014 2:39 PM

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Those land mines were creepy as hell when their faces opened up and they started crawling like insects. Those disturbing images will haunt me for a while.

So, this is how the special team of Section 9 began.

It was so good to see Batou again. He's my favorite! And the Logicoms are too.

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Aug 21, 2014 6:22 AM

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Nidhoeggr said:
And please, don't get me started on the character design and the opening theme...

There a problem you have with the OP? That shit was dope man. Now if it's about the entire thing being an entry in the GITS franchise, then we can say that this shit was some REALLY shitty shit, because it absolutely is some freaky deeky shit.

EternalChaos said:
I think the main problem is they did not have Kamiyama, Kenji

The problem is Oshii Mamoru didn't direct this.

Wind_Falcon said:
This OVA turned out to be complete garbage, just like we knew all along.

Didn't we all? Yet we still end up watching it anyway. Of course, in hopes that it would actually be worth mentioning as a recommendation in the future. Then shall we wait until we finish all 4?

And last time I checked, I was sure that ARISE is completely unrelated to any of the previous GITS entries. But then now that I checked anidb once more, I learned that ARISE is actually the prequel to the original 1995 movie.

Huh

This better not be true. That better not be canon. What the hell am I saying? The original 1995 movie is an adaptation of the original 1989 manga by Shirow Masamune. So what is true and what is not? What can be simpler than the 1995 film by Oshii Mamoru being the best, and everything that came after it deteriorated? You see, the bullshit thing about non-Oshii GITS is those annoying blue/red think tanks. They absolutely ruined everything. I was getting VERY into 2nd GIG, and then the finale happened. The two S.A.C. series may have been written and directed very well, but ultimately, those fucking think tanks hampered my enjoyment.

BUT HERE IN ARISE, MY ENJOYMENT IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. The only time I totally get into it is in the OP. The animation is really fucking shitty. Even Wizard Barristers had amazing CGI animation, WAY better than what we have here. But of course, since they're not P.I.G., the later episodes suffered. You see. This is why you cannot count of P.I.G. Not anymore. Not any fuckin more. Maybe in the past, like 1995. Or maybe they just never were good at all?

ARISE is fucking messy. And I'm sure I speak the same words by all those who actually do prefer S.A.C. an infinite amount of times more. It feels like they'll just pull all kinds of shit out of their asses just to explain things.
zetsu_shorenAug 21, 2014 6:33 AM
Sep 19, 2014 6:09 PM

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If they would release previously undisclosed material produced back then, 20 years ago, by the original team, but you would get told it was produced today by a obviously different team, most of you would bitch just like now.

Yes, it wasn't outstanding, but it was GitS. That being sad, it wasn't bad either. It could all have been slightly better, but it was enjoyable.

It's also interesting to see the actual score given to the original and to this. I did check some here randomly, and i saw scores as low as 6 for the orignal, and one had like7 for SAC and 6 for this, so barely different, with a huge gap of 3 to the top anime he watched.

Heck, some of the people who said "was pretty good" or "i liked it" gave it a worse score than some of the haters.
Sep 22, 2014 7:36 AM
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twinbells said:
Not quite understanding the complaints about the fight choreography. Yes, it's not quite as good as the 1995 theatrical film, but the fights were certainly better than the ones in the two seasons of SAC where Motoko was typically just hopelessly more competent than her opponents and dispatched all of them with ease, making for uninterestingly one-sided engagements.

There are also a lot of complains about the soundtrack here, but I mostly enjoyed the opening theme and rather minimal soundtrack, although I wasn't super fond of some of the more upbeat tracks. Each to their own, I suppose.

Lastly, I liked the new character designs, Motoko and Batou in particular. The complaint that the Major is "less sexy" is hardly a valid one, and comparisons to shows like Naruto are hardly illuminating or productive. I know some people who just couldn't get past the way that her outfit in SAC looked like it was intended to be fanservice or eye-candy, and while that wasn't a big negative for me personally, I still feel that her design in Arise looks much more reasonable.

I think the fight at the end of the first Arise OVA is the best fight in all of GitS. I don't think any fights in the franchise are bad but I never really thought the water fight in the original film was anything special. In that fight she was way too overpowered. The fights in the series are better. She was rarely over competent and had to be saved by Saito a few times. Batou vs Kuze was probably the best fight in SAC, but I think that one in Arise is slightly better. It's really enjoyable to see the major perform her acrobatics and kick things.
Nov 17, 2014 5:26 PM

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this shit even watchable ?
Sword in hand, a warrior clutches stone to breast. In sword etched he his fading memories In stone, his tempered skill By sword attested, by stone revealed. Their tale can now be told
Nov 18, 2014 10:51 AM
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Not by a long shot.
Nov 19, 2014 12:02 AM

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Wind_Falcon said:
Not by a long shot.


episode 3 gave me cancer
Sword in hand, a warrior clutches stone to breast. In sword etched he his fading memories In stone, his tempered skill By sword attested, by stone revealed. Their tale can now be told
Jan 13, 2015 9:45 PM
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What the fk happened to the opening its like eating stale bread T_T
I have dropped season 3...
View my anime list for good anime recomendations especially the ones with a score of 10 :)
Feb 1, 2015 4:19 PM

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Looked amateurish. Animation was hit and miss. Misshapen characters, objects etc - not as good as Stand Alone Complex even. English voice actors not comparable to the originals either. Chris Sabat is hard to listen to. Sounds like he's putting on a voice which is about the worst thing you could say about a voice actor. The Major's voice was very good though. Music was ok, but not the top-tier stuff Ghost in the Shell is known for.

Script was average. Kenji Kamiyama's work was a lot better. Motoko's character is completely different. It's not the same character at all, just using her name and other small similarities in setting etc. Didn't mind her new design. There's something that could be done with this alternative world, but I don't trust the people behind this to get it done right. The movies don't look like they improved after this one either.

I was looking forward to the TV series in April, but not so much now. Hopefully we see some improvement.
Mar 15, 2015 7:35 PM
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Woah. It has a lot of action. I did not see it coming. I am still getting used to this new adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.
May 29, 2015 6:06 AM
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I didn't quite get some parts.
Jun 24, 2015 12:38 PM

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I quite liked this first prequel movie of 4! It wasn't as intense as I liked it to be, but still kept the GitS atmosphere strong!

Let's see what the second movie will offer us!
Jul 26, 2015 2:01 PM
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I just finished this movie and have no clue what exactly happened. Something about false memories, a virus and being framed? What was the actual bad guy and what was the resolution?

Their wasn't even really much philosophical stuff the series is known for. It was kinda just a normal scifi show with a confusing story.

I thought the animation was alright, at times it seemed kinda slow or it didn't flow well enough. The character designs were a bad choice as well.

Who did kill mamorou? What did Hurutsu do and why was the major fighting raizo at the end? I must be stupid.
Aug 5, 2015 8:00 PM

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Speaking only for the first film, but Motoko feels like so much more of a character here than in the original film it's embarrassing. ARISE also keeps the philosophy just right on the surface to give us something to think about without shoving it down our throats like the original film did. Which is a good thing, because the cast is secondary to the plot and has no business even trying for the illusion of depth. Could've done without the random skinservice, but whatever. It's astonishing how much better this is than the original.
Aug 7, 2015 4:46 PM

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It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However, there is one thing I just couldn't stand, and it's Motoko's VA. I am not a fan of Maaya Sakamoto as Major. Her Motoko is a tomboy. The original seiyuu had a deep and sexy voice, that's what was missing here.

Overall 6/10. Had it not been my favourite anime franchise ever, I would give this 4/10.
kumashockAug 8, 2015 4:59 PM
Aug 19, 2015 12:07 PM
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Decent movie. Considering I don't have much love for the GitS TV series (and this movie definitely reminded me in some ways of those standalone episodes), it's hard for me to judge it. I'm not completely turned off, so I guess I'll keep watching it.

Dec 27, 2015 8:26 AM

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Logikoma is kawaii

Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022
Jan 18, 2016 1:49 AM

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Great episode.

I think it's much slower paced compared to SAC or even the original one.

Action Scenes>>Investigation then rinse and repeat.

I do love the animation, and the new tech their showing is just awesome. Though i'm surprise people aren't questioning why a tachikoma can use optic camo in the middle of the road!

I actually like Major's new costume. Especially her rider red one. Sure SAC outfit will always be the best, but her Arise look is not bad :)

Love Maaya Sakamoto's voice!! Definitely the perfect choice for Major's young days(she also did the child one in the movies)

They sure love showing Major in her underwear XD

Let's see how Section 9 is formed in the series. Can't wait for the next episode!!
Jan 31, 2016 2:36 PM

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Mmmhh, I really don't know what to think about it...
Part of me liked the movie because, well, I really love GiTS franchise.
But the other is telling me that it's not on the same level of SAC and the other movies... I guess I'll have to wait until last movie to give a proper judgment.

And oh yeah... I don't really like those VA, they're not bad, but I do love the other one a lot better (okay they're supposed to be younger but still...)
May 3, 2016 7:28 PM
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I'll be honest: I barely understand what the hell is going on in Ghost in the Shell most of the time. Maybe it's because I'm a goddamned idiot. Probably so. But, like all things Ghost in the Shell, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. Not as atmospheric as the original movie or as thought provoking as SAC, but all in all, a pretty fun movie, even if only for the action scenes and Motoko being sexy as hell.
Pretty weird hearing the Major's voice from SAC being someone else entirely in the English dub, though. Haha
And the OST sucked big time. Just wanted to throw that out there. The OP was utter shit. The ED was trippy, but I kind of liked it.
removed-userMay 3, 2016 7:33 PM
May 12, 2016 6:28 PM

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I liked it. Typical GIST...convoluted plot, crazy cool action, per-pubescent girl Killer robots.

My one sticking point. How the changed the Major's look. She looks like a girl herself. More like that Katniss chick.

Kurutsu looked more like the old-school Major (even had the same Dub voice actress)

Still any GITS is good GITS IMO.
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Sep 5, 2016 5:00 PM

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Holy shit, what a complete hodgepodge of a plot. Thankfully somebody in the thread has already provided a believable explanation. That's not good storytelling, I felt like it was convoluted for the sake of being convoluted (though not being able to remember all the new names in 50 minutes certainly didn't help).

I admit, the story was nothing particularly valuable, but Ghost in the Shell is still Ghost in the Shell. Nice to see new stories being made.
Oct 11, 2016 7:08 AM

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This was okay, 7/10

It just feels like something is missing compared to SAC.
Oct 25, 2016 3:29 AM

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Paz, what happened with your face?

Logicoma ♥
It's Sawashiro-san.. Ofc I'll love the cute voice xD

Surprisingly it's good
Not used with the different seiyuu(s) and musics... But they certainly doing a good job
I prefer SAC's animation more though xD
I miss Batou's cool deep voice :(
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Feb 4, 2017 7:04 PM

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kuity said:
kawaruka said:


Thanks very very much for your awesome explanation man... now I understand it all thanks to you~ cheeers~~! so the foregin power or the enemy wasn't going to kill him, but just implement him with the virus and make him go public with the information, but when they saw that unit 501 and the vice-minister were very close in the investigations to mamuro, they were afraid they were gonna discover their interference with mamuro's brain, so they decided to kill him as well by blowing him up so that no one can know that he was infected by them ? thanks again man


Wait, was it mentioned that the false memories created by the firestarters could be controlled?

Anyway I don't think Unit 501 was directly involved with killing Mamuro. It seemed more like they knew of the intention to kill him but they just sat on the sidelines.


Wait, what's this about a foreign power? I missed that. Mamuro discovered the army had been selling weapons abroad but the Vice Minister ordered a cover up. Mamuro then chose to go public and implicate the Vice Minister in the scandal, after gathering evidence as to his involvement. Some faction got wise to this and started wiping out his sources, then going after him.

I don't think it's said who the "enemy" are. Presumably an internal faction with access to the doll bombs (which it seems they allowed to be stolen?). The workings of the virus are a bit of a mystery but it seems they just make people dirty and discredit themselves without realising it; I'm not sure how they suggest fake memories or the action to take, I guess it's like the Puppet Master in the 1995 film. Maybe it just enables them to be remote controlled?

After Mamuro was made to look dirty he was killed, with Kusanagi framing herself after getting infected. And I think she did actually kill him and the prostitute? Since she was AWOL for a few days and said she got the gun that shot him at the same time she received the infected message from Mamuro. Hard to know with all the fake things she's seeing, and I'm not sure how the enemy were clued up to this secret message to her from Mamuro, or how they made her act this way (why knowingly give her the evidence along with the dirty gun and a virus?). Plan A was to use the doll mines on Mamuro though.
Unit 501 let Mamuro die in their own interests, so they wouldn't be subject to a witch hunt following the scandal, but were investigating who was behind it anyway, and kind of protecting Kusanagi.
BlackoutingFeb 4, 2017 7:31 PM
Feb 5, 2017 6:55 PM

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Blackouting said:
kuity said:


Wait, was it mentioned that the false memories created by the firestarters could be controlled?

Anyway I don't think Unit 501 was directly involved with killing Mamuro. It seemed more like they knew of the intention to kill him but they just sat on the sidelines.


Wait, what's this about a foreign power? I missed that. Mamuro discovered the army had been selling weapons abroad but the Vice Minister ordered a cover up. Mamuro then chose to go public and implicate the Vice Minister in the scandal, after gathering evidence as to his involvement. Some faction got wise to this and started wiping out his sources, then going after him.

I don't think it's said who the "enemy" are. Presumably an internal faction with access to the doll bombs (which it seems they allowed to be stolen?). The workings of the virus are a bit of a mystery but it seems they just make people dirty and discredit themselves without realising it; I'm not sure how they suggest fake memories or the action to take, I guess it's like the Puppet Master in the 1995 film. Maybe it just enables them to be remote controlled?

After Mamuro was made to look dirty he was killed, with Kusanagi framing herself after getting infected. And I think she did actually kill him and the prostitute? Since she was AWOL for a few days and said she got the gun that shot him at the same time she received the infected message from Mamuro. Hard to know with all the fake things she's seeing, and I'm not sure how the enemy were clued up to this secret message to her from Mamuro, or how they made her act this way (why knowingly give her the evidence along with the dirty gun and a virus?). Plan A was to use the doll mines on Mamuro though.
Unit 501 let Mamuro die in their own interests, so they wouldn't be subject to a witch hunt following the scandal, but were investigating who was behind it anyway, and kind of protecting Kusanagi.

Lol my comment was ancient.

Yeah I think you are mostly right.

If we take out firestarter, the internal military faction and the cartels, which are explained in the later episodes, this episode was basically about the vice minister involved in dirty deals and Mamuro wanting to come clean.

Motoko did not get infected after receiving the infected message from Mamuro. That was itself a fake memory. She was already back in town when Mamuro was killed. She got infected after coming across his dead body in the alleyway and connecting to his cyberbrain. It wasn't clear who planted the virus.

As explained by Kurutsu, who is basically synonymous with unit 501, she had 3 motives: protect Motoko, protect the organization, and protect herself. "You are holding on to the data Mamuro left for me?" "To protect you". "You used me as bait for the enemy" "To protect the organization". "You let Mamuro die" "To protect myself".

As you know, under the control of the virus, Motoko then unwittingly transferred money from Mamuros account. Presumably this is dirty money from the vice ministers dirty dealings. The money was then used by unit 501 to set up a honey trap to catch the involved culprits.
There's two kinds of people you can't win an argument against:
One - Too dumb to tell right from wrong.
Two - Too stubborn to admit they are wrong.
Feb 5, 2017 7:34 PM

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@kuity yeah sorry, didn't realise how ancient! There's surprisingly little discussion on the plot though. Reckon this will take another watch to get my head fully around.

Did not realise that was when she got infected? Thought it was at the start when she was handed the briefcase - what was a fake memory? She got the message from him at the same time didn't she (it's a bit weird as all you see then is the connectors hitting the floor then more of it is revealed later, and there's another message fragment showing her being told of his death)? Did they show her finding the dead body? I thought it was implied she was the one under the hood that followed the others in (it first being implied to be Kurutsu?), and it was implied she's been "rogue" for a few days after returning?

Kurutsu then later stole the disc from her room?

Actually your way makes more sense, if the bad guys went in the alley followed by the bomb as on CCTV, to discover he'd already been shot, and she followed them in under a hood. But I still don't understand how her gun did it if she wasn't involved at that point.

idk a lot of the memory sequences are kinda seriously vague
May 20, 2017 3:19 PM

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4195
cheeko_gal said:
I just finished this movie and have no clue what exactly happened. Something about false memories, a virus and being framed? What was the actual bad guy and what was the resolution?

Their wasn't even really much philosophical stuff the series is known for. It was kinda just a normal scifi show with a confusing story.

I thought the animation was alright, at times it seemed kinda slow or it didn't flow well enough. The character designs were a bad choice as well.

Who did kill mamorou? What did Hurutsu do and why was the major fighting raizo at the end? I must be stupid.


Necro'ing this post because it mirrors my thoughts also, I'm just like "okay wtf just happened?" and that's not good.

First foray into the franchise not looking so hot... 6/10 teetering on 5.
May 20, 2017 7:09 PM
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173
OppaiSugoi said:
cheeko_gal said:
I just finished this movie and have no clue what exactly happened. Something about false memories, a virus and being framed? What was the actual bad guy and what was the resolution?

Their wasn't even really much philosophical stuff the series is known for. It was kinda just a normal scifi show with a confusing story.

I thought the animation was alright, at times it seemed kinda slow or it didn't flow well enough. The character designs were a bad choice as well.

Who did kill mamorou? What did Hurutsu do and why was the major fighting raizo at the end? I must be stupid.


Necro'ing this post because it mirrors my thoughts also, I'm just like "okay wtf just happened?" and that's not good.

First foray into the franchise not looking so hot... 6/10 teetering on 5.

Yeah your first foray in the Gits franchise should probably be the animated movie or SAC
May 22, 2017 5:26 AM

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494
OppaiSugoi said:
cheeko_gal said:
I just finished this movie and have no clue what exactly happened. Something about false memories, a virus and being framed? What was the actual bad guy and what was the resolution?

Their wasn't even really much philosophical stuff the series is known for. It was kinda just a normal scifi show with a confusing story.

I thought the animation was alright, at times it seemed kinda slow or it didn't flow well enough. The character designs were a bad choice as well.

Who did kill mamorou? What did Hurutsu do and why was the major fighting raizo at the end? I must be stupid.


Necro'ing this post because it mirrors my thoughts also, I'm just like "okay wtf just happened?" and that's not good.

First foray into the franchise not looking so hot... 6/10 teetering on 5.


Just gonna agree with the post above me.

With the possible exception of the new live action movie (which I haven't seen) Arise is the worst the franchise has to offer.

It's not a good place to start, it may be an origin story of sorts for the team, but it is not actually a prequel to the Oshii movies or the Stand Alone Complex series which are both much better.

They're all different continuities, I recommend watching Arise only if you've already run out of the earlier stuff.
Sep 11, 2017 2:15 PM

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OK on second viewing I see she got infected in the alleyway, and the scene in customs is deliberately misleading (where she tears out(?) the message - presumably in shock at him saying along the lines of "I'll be dead when you get this").
The two goons from Area 6 were there in the alley to assassinate Mamuro, and they did, and the two guys from Unit 501 were also there to capture the mobile landmine (which was sent by someone else to do the same). Motoko come along soon after and got infected.

Mamuro did the murders himself and Motoko picked up his dirty gun in the alley.

Now I'm just unclear about the landmines - according to Batou, Kusanagi got them from Area 6 herself but idk. Paz said he had 3 to use in the assassination but lost them all. Motoko unzipped one in her room from a case and it followed her around. Presumably Unit 501 booby-trapped the grave with the one they snatched from the murder scene. One of the three earlier on killed the ranger Mamuro was talking to so I'm just a bit lost about how these add up. Who sent that ?

Few other gaps like the trap 501 set with the cash in the locker, it's not really explained how anyone was supposed to know it was there as wasn't it just being transferred via bank account?

I still really like Arise though.
BlackoutingOct 3, 2017 5:20 PM
Jan 1, 2018 9:54 AM

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While reviewing it for the second time, I am rest of my ideas on the graphic style, the story and the soundtrack. Perhaps as an enthusiast, I have a special eye, but I think that despite the small defects, it is a product that is more than good. The soundtrack is not as enthralling as that of the GITS film, and the story perhaps only leads to the entry of the protagonist in section 9, without ever being serious and give us a moment of real entertainment, but it is overwhelming. Being one of my guilty pleasant anime series, I confirm the vote given to it in the past.
Sep 7, 2018 7:28 AM

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1039
i managed to enjoy this despite the new Major's design and the akatsuki guys in green cloaks :] 7/10
see you, space cowperson . . .
Oct 16, 2018 2:51 AM
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1069
A quality made. However I disliked the appearance of the "landmines", that may be something very japan and anime like, but if you try to act intelligent, mysterious and serious than you probably shouldn't evert to your common cutsie tropes too much. But overall even with the new production team it still holds up. The only odd thing, but mostly to the german dub, was that they called her "Ksanagi" instead of Kusanagi. Don't know why that is. Would've also preferred a new dub cast instead of the most common voices for them over the past 2 decades...
Plus why did noone get upset over her littering at the airport?
Jul 12, 2019 7:15 AM
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703
wow its very great anime,,
the grapich is very high and smooth the battle is very cool too,,
amd the story i very enjoy it, its very interesting and i ican even predict what happen next,,
Sep 3, 2020 10:11 PM
孔真・コウマコト

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Jun 2017
7611
Wasn't a bad first introduction to the Arise timeline, I reckon.

Some of the Major's delusions gave me a fright honestly and that's pretty cool, I reckon. Goes to show that I definitely got invested into it quite a bit.

Certainly didn't feel like GitS though, in all honesty. And the Character Designs are a downgrade compared the original GiGs in SAC, so that's a down.

Animation, on the other hand, is quite different too but they nailed some of the sakuga and the mood was just about right too.

All in all, a solid 7/10 from me.
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Feb 5, 2023 8:35 PM

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Oct 2019
1146
I might be weird but yea, I think it was ok. Still carries the confusion of a plot just like the other entries. We learn of this Majors backstory on how she grew up as fully cyber.
I have to say tho, art is hit or miss. I think batou is ok and major is ok but i miss the way Major looked like in SAC. Also, the fuck they do to Saito in the opening? He not my Saito. So I wasnt too thrilled with this art change. However, I thought animation was pretty good. SAC has had some action moments but they were pretty tame. This felt very impactful and had longer moments for fights which I enjoyed. 
On another note, sadly this film kinda lacked in music for me. I just felt the music was pretty meh compared to what was given from the other entries.
"Perfection is perception. For me, humanity's imperfections is what makes it perfect"

Mar 26, 2023 1:50 PM
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Among the first of all of G.I.T.S to take on a new appearance.
May 31, 2023 6:50 AM
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Ghost Pain é, certamente, um ótimo longa-metragem para a introdução do espectador no universo de Ghost In The Shell. É nostálgico para quem viu outras obras, como o filme de 1995, ver os membros da Seção 9 se conhecendo pela primeira vez. Além disso, o conceito da alteração das memórias de Mokoto é extremamente interessante. Cada personagem do longa teve seu papel e todos foram extremamente carismáticos e característicos.
Jun 13, 2023 5:56 PM

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Dec 2022
4080
Motoko's blue hair and short fringe took a bit of getting used to, but this is looking decent so far. Most of the good qualities of SAC have been carried over, and the lowered power level of the main characters makes the action scenes more involving.

Shaded Horizon


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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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