Back to sgtgs42's Profile sgtgs42's Profile

It's time to write a review. Ghost in the Shell Arise II: Ghost whispers. This "episode" was extremely stylized to say the least. Everything from extreme camera angles to (tasteful) use of slow motion, this episode was really some great eye candy. More and more I'm liking the new art style, and the animation is more fluid than the water in my cup.

The story, as all GitS stories, is pretty complex. A good understanding of how this universe works is a prerequisite to being able to enjoy this particular story. The story had some strong elements of the puppet master woven in, with issues ... such as self awareness and false memory being important and reoccurring the course of the story. But rather than rehash the first GitS story (the 1995 movie), Arise 2 focused more on the political plot and characters rather than the philosophical questions raised.

This is not a bad thing, however, as the main point of this story (at least as I saw it) was to assemble Kusanagi's team. The team has to be introduced somehow and this episode was where it happened. We already have back stories from 2nd GiG, but Arise 2 makes it clear that these are not the backstories that will be used in the Arise series. This is another reboot, one where Saito actually has a personality (lol). To make it clear: the 1995 movie and 2001 movie are in the same timeline, the GitS TV series is another timeline, and the Arise series is a whole other time line, and most significantly different of the 3.

This is a fresh reboot of the GitS franchise. The feel is grittyer than the series. It feels almost like comparing the new Daniel Craig Bond movies to the old Pierce Brosnan ones.

finally I must comment on the soundtrack. Cornelius is no Yoko Kanno or Kenji Kawai, but I must say...WOW really keeping up in his own way. The sound track is minimalist (no epic tracks like "Torukia" or "Kugutsuukatageroiha yomini matamuto") but fits well. Cornelius is not trying to compete with Kenji Kawai nor Yoko Kanno; and to be honest, I doubt he'd be able to win. He instead turned around and did something else, and boy is he good at it. The music really felt like part of the movie rather than an addition to the movie and helped create a holistic feel. Will I buy the OST for Arise? As of now, no. Would I rather Yoko Kanno or Kenji Kawai did the music for Arise? Surprisingly no as well! I'm happy with the sound track. More than happy actually.

Overall this episode was beautiful to look at, but stands alone in style, even compared to the first Arise episode. I personally like it less, but if you're a fan of fluid fights withs extremely stylized action sequences, this one is for you. I gave the first Arise movie a 10/10. I'll give 8.5/10 for this one. I have great expectations for the next movie.