GitS Sequel and Appleseed Remake Are Coming

LocusMote writes "Masamune Shirow, the creative genius behind the manga and anime Ghost in the Shell , has a few new irons fresh from the fire. One of his earlier manga, Appleseed, already exists as a rather disappointing television quality anime. Shirow thought so too, apparently. He went back to the original manga storyline, blew off the dust, and has produced a beautiful new all-CG Appleseed which hits the Japanese theaters in April. (Quicktime required) Oh yeah, there's a Ghost in the Shell sequel in the pipeline, too, called Innocence ... w00t!" Beautiful.

Comments

another spin off soon then...?

[freerecords]

Matrix was clearly ripped off Ghost in the Shell.. so will we soon get a new matrix sequel ripped off innocence... i wonder?

You may already know that but...

[Tei]

If you can, get all Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Episodes, where really GREATs, maybe the better anime you can wach. Also get the Tachikomas episodes, has a bonus.

Some people think that these episodes where BETTER than the original Film itself.

Thanks Japan Artists!

I mean well..

[back_pages]

I'm not trying to troll, but I gave anime a shot a few years ago and found it all very vacuous. Ghost in the Shell struck me as being both pretentious and half-baked. I've watched a couple other titles and the experience was about the same.

Someone once told me that there was a tremendous amount of Japanese cultural reference in anime. Any input on this? Is there a reputable online source where I might learn some of this material and reattempt to enjoy these movies?

Alternatively, I begin to suspect that anime is to film what trance is to music. And again, I'm just trying to draw a framework, not just troll... Both strike me as eye/ear candy that expect the audience to be non-skeptical of the legitimacy of the plot/expression and enjoy the experience without critical analysis. But I've already admitted that I don't truly understand the culture that produces anime.

At any rate, I like films by Kubrick and Wim Wenders among others, but I'm also a fan of tacky role playing games. I've played The Crescent Hawks Inception and the first Mechwarrior to completion, so I should have some affinity for giant robot fighters, right?

I guess what I'm looking for is the History channel documentary on anime that will give me enough insight to appreciate what makes anime interesting, or at least the internet's version of such a thing. Any suggestions?

Re:I mean well..

[bugbread]

Well, the first thing you need to realize is that not all anime is created equally (I suspect you know that, but just saying it in case), and that, just as with any other media, what's popular isn't necessarily what's good. I personally hated Ghost in the Shell, so I understand where you're coming from. Basically, you just need to find your niche. My anime niche is incredibly small, consisting basically of Miyazaki's stuff, as well as a smattering of random things (Rojin-Z, Memories...hmm...too few to even recall now, but I'm sure there are others).

Some anime has a lot of Japanese cultural references, some doesn't (comedies, predictably, have much, much more, which is true in any medium). I suspect that it isn't so much the cultural divide that keeps you from enjoying anime, but discerning tastes.

Just remember, if you hear a billion people praising a certain anime, it means no less and no more than a billion people praising a certain movie. The Fast and the Furious was very successful, but that doesn't mean it was good. The good stuff is out there, but you have to look, and that can be a pain in the butt.

What I recommend is: don't bother looking. However, keep in mind that there is good stuff out there, but you haven't seen it. Then, one day, when a friend of yours whose tastes you trust recommends some anime, give it a shot and see if you've found the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Re:too bad

[M1FCJ]

GiTS SAC is absolutely beautiful in animation and in story. I started to watch the 2nd season and so far it is going good.

If you read the manga, you'll see that GiTS SAC is much more closer to it than the movie was. I still love the movie but SAC is much better than the movie in story-terms.

Re:Lesbians = Ratings

[PeDRoRist]

Actually Motoko is more of a bisexual than a lesbian.

I like the bogus excuse of cyberbrain sex not working between male and female for showing some girl-to-girl action in GITS.