I know there's a general Anime thread. But I've been on a bit of a GitS kick in particular the past few days. So first I think I'll do a little show & tell.
I got this today. I'll talk more about this soon. Just wanted to lead off with my most recent aquisition.
1. Original GitS paperback. It reads left to right like any american book. All sound effect text is translated into english lettering. There's also a whole scene that was censored. This is the first way I read GitS.
2. This is the hardback collection that just came today. It includes Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface. It reads right to left like a true manga. The sound effect text is in the original Japanese writing. The scene that was censored before is also censored here.
3. Ghost in the Shell paper back. As you can see, it's quite a bit smaller than the other two. It reads left to right. The sound effect text is in english text. There's also main draw of this version is that it's completely uncensored. As far as I understand, this is the only english release that's completely uncensored.
Bottom row: Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface. 11 issues. Reads left to right. Sound effect text is in English text. I read this once as it came out. I absolutely couldn't follow any of it. But I may just try again with the new collected edition and see if reading it all at once instead of having time between when each issue is released might help.
1. Stand Alone Complex soundtrack. Favored tracks include "Run Rabbit Junk" and "Inner Universe."
2. Stand Alone Complex 2 soundtrack. It came with one of the DVD's, but I think I may have only listened to it once and that's it.
3. Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence soundtrack.
Not pictured: I do have the original movie soundtrack digitally.
1. Ghost in the Shell 25h Anniversary Bluray
2. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 Bluray. I bought this because I was curious. But I in no way suggest getting it. The CGI bits that replaced the original animation just does not mesh well with the rest of the movie. They also put an orange filter over everything that I just don't like. The green color tone of the original is just too much a part of the movie to mess with it.
3. Ghost in the Shell 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray + Digital. I also got this one this week. I don't have a 4K television. But I can still see a bit of improvement over the blu-ray. It's also nice to have it digitally. This is also one movie that I just want to have the absolute best version.
4. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. I don't know what general opinion of this is, but I actually really like this movie. The action is really good and it really made me like Batou and Togusa even more than I did before.
5. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence Music Video soundtrack. This is how I got the soundtrack pictured above. I mostly got it for the soundtrack itself, so I've really only watched the DVD once.
6. Ghost in the Shell Arise: I may have to try watching this again. I've only watched it once. I just have a bit of an issue of anything GitS that's not a part of the original continuity.
7. Ghost in the Shell The New Movie. I really wish they'd have just called this Arise the Movie. Same thing here, I've only watched it once. I may ohave to watch it again some time.
Not pictured: I did buy the Scarlett Johansen movie digitally on Amazon. The first time I watched it, I really didn't like it. But I tried it again the other night and it worked better for me. I still have to roll my eyes how they lifted some scenes wholesale from the anime and gave them a completely different context. I also think I like it better as "a movie" than I do as a "Ghost in the Shell movie." But my view on it has softened...a little.
No longer owned: I used to have the VHS version and an older DVD version. I must've gotten rid of them as I traded up. I'm kinda sorry I no longer have the VHS version though. It was my introduction to anime (aside from Voltron which I barely count for several reasons).
As you can also probably guess by the fact that I own the soundtracks, I used to own the Stand Alone Complex series. Actually, my issue with this isn't the continuity being different from the movie. I just couldn't follow any of it. While the movie had its share of techno-babble, politics and philosophy, I was still able to follow the overarching story well enough until I've watched it enough times to get the nuance. The series though, I was just so freaking lost.
Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence, Dreamworks DVD. This thing was complete trash. There was no english dub. And while some of you may prefer subbed anyway, they screwed that up to by not having an actual sub. It was actually just the closed captioning of the english track (which did exist at the time but was not included for whatever reason. Once I got the bluray, I dropped the DVD like the hot garbage that it is.
Self explanitory.
So, yeah, that's my story as told by a slideshow...just like the old fart that I am.
I got this today. I'll talk more about this soon. Just wanted to lead off with my most recent aquisition.
1. Original GitS paperback. It reads left to right like any american book. All sound effect text is translated into english lettering. There's also a whole scene that was censored. This is the first way I read GitS.
2. This is the hardback collection that just came today. It includes Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface. It reads right to left like a true manga. The sound effect text is in the original Japanese writing. The scene that was censored before is also censored here.
3. Ghost in the Shell paper back. As you can see, it's quite a bit smaller than the other two. It reads left to right. The sound effect text is in english text. There's also main draw of this version is that it's completely uncensored. As far as I understand, this is the only english release that's completely uncensored.
Bottom row: Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface. 11 issues. Reads left to right. Sound effect text is in English text. I read this once as it came out. I absolutely couldn't follow any of it. But I may just try again with the new collected edition and see if reading it all at once instead of having time between when each issue is released might help.
1. Stand Alone Complex soundtrack. Favored tracks include "Run Rabbit Junk" and "Inner Universe."
2. Stand Alone Complex 2 soundtrack. It came with one of the DVD's, but I think I may have only listened to it once and that's it.
3. Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence soundtrack.
Not pictured: I do have the original movie soundtrack digitally.
1. Ghost in the Shell 25h Anniversary Bluray
2. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 Bluray. I bought this because I was curious. But I in no way suggest getting it. The CGI bits that replaced the original animation just does not mesh well with the rest of the movie. They also put an orange filter over everything that I just don't like. The green color tone of the original is just too much a part of the movie to mess with it.
3. Ghost in the Shell 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray + Digital. I also got this one this week. I don't have a 4K television. But I can still see a bit of improvement over the blu-ray. It's also nice to have it digitally. This is also one movie that I just want to have the absolute best version.
4. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. I don't know what general opinion of this is, but I actually really like this movie. The action is really good and it really made me like Batou and Togusa even more than I did before.
5. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence Music Video soundtrack. This is how I got the soundtrack pictured above. I mostly got it for the soundtrack itself, so I've really only watched the DVD once.
6. Ghost in the Shell Arise: I may have to try watching this again. I've only watched it once. I just have a bit of an issue of anything GitS that's not a part of the original continuity.
7. Ghost in the Shell The New Movie. I really wish they'd have just called this Arise the Movie. Same thing here, I've only watched it once. I may ohave to watch it again some time.
Not pictured: I did buy the Scarlett Johansen movie digitally on Amazon. The first time I watched it, I really didn't like it. But I tried it again the other night and it worked better for me. I still have to roll my eyes how they lifted some scenes wholesale from the anime and gave them a completely different context. I also think I like it better as "a movie" than I do as a "Ghost in the Shell movie." But my view on it has softened...a little.
No longer owned: I used to have the VHS version and an older DVD version. I must've gotten rid of them as I traded up. I'm kinda sorry I no longer have the VHS version though. It was my introduction to anime (aside from Voltron which I barely count for several reasons).
As you can also probably guess by the fact that I own the soundtracks, I used to own the Stand Alone Complex series. Actually, my issue with this isn't the continuity being different from the movie. I just couldn't follow any of it. While the movie had its share of techno-babble, politics and philosophy, I was still able to follow the overarching story well enough until I've watched it enough times to get the nuance. The series though, I was just so freaking lost.
Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence, Dreamworks DVD. This thing was complete trash. There was no english dub. And while some of you may prefer subbed anyway, they screwed that up to by not having an actual sub. It was actually just the closed captioning of the english track (which did exist at the time but was not included for whatever reason. Once I got the bluray, I dropped the DVD like the hot garbage that it is.
Self explanitory.
So, yeah, that's my story as told by a slideshow...just like the old fart that I am.