(L) Ghost in the Shell ARISE

[Wanderer Blue]

I have real high hopes for this series, i mean GITS has never dissapointed with its cerebral plots and its view into a transhumanist future. If they stay true to the GITS of old, this anime should be plenty good. (on cosmetic issues: motoko's new look will take some getting used to.)

[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 1:

The first episode is okay at least. As some people said, it reminds me very much of the SAC counterpart, except it takes place on another universe. The way Motoko begins questioning her mind was beautiful, I liked the animation and I got used to the designs easily after the first few minutes. The mystery aspect is very strong, we learn behind Motoko's motivations and how she encountered some of the cast we know and love. The music by Cornelius as well the ending theme is great, I hope the overall feel of Arise will stay to the end.

[creb]

That was almost indistinguishable from a SAC episode, which is a good thing in my book.

Any fears I had that with all these new people on board that things would change drastically have been allayed.

Yes, it suffers from much of the same exposition as SAC, but I can forgive that for more cybernetic awesomeness.

My second biggest worry concerning Batou's relatively unheard of VA was also allayed. Batou himself came across a little more badass, than previous incarnations.

So, she's met 3 of her future 5 team mates. I wonder which one of the remaining two will be showing up in the next episode.

Edit: Am I the only one that thought it a bit weird that her parents were in a small morgue? Especially after all those years? :/

[Traece]

Originally Posted by creb

Edit: Am I the only one that thought it a bit weird that her parents were in a small morgue? Especially after all those years? :/

My assumption was that since they were killed in a special event and potentially by bioweapons (I'm a bit fuzzy on that detail) they've been kept in a morgue all this time. They could also be subjects that are kept on record because of Kusanagi's situation.

[monir]

Originally Posted by creb

Edit: Am I the only one that thought it a bit weird that her parents were in a small morgue? Especially after all those years? :/

I'm also confused about that part. Wonder if anyone here came up with any good theories/explanation!

[SQA]

Originally Posted by monir

I'm also confused about that part. Wonder if anyone here came up with any good theories/explanation!

Motoko is only 5-6 years old?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by creb

Edit: Am I the only one that thought it a bit weird that her parents were in a small morgue? Especially after all those years? :/

Originally Posted by monir

I'm also confused about that part. Wonder if anyone here came up with any good theories/explanation!

I got the answer. This is a reference to GitS2:MMI. In MMI the characters visited a cemetery that was essentially the size of a 3D carpark. The idea is that Japan lack living space as it is, so the concept of your own piece of land to be buried in was a luxury. Note that some people appear to still be buried; it's just that those who can't afford it, end up in those compact body storage areas. Motoko's real parents probably were nobodies who weren't that well off, so they end up in the concrete graveyard.
Edit: Real life examples using ash urns.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8302476.stm

[Shinndou]

I liked it. It does have SAC vibes which is good, and I honestly don't mind the slow progression (which is another point in common with SAC).

I also don't mind Motoko's new look, I think it suits her young and impulsive personality. She's not the same Motoko we're used to know, but she might become that in the future anyway. This movie is a sort of prologue afterall.

Last note: I am not fully convinced by the new cast (especially Batou's and Togusa's VA, I still prefer Akio Ohtsuka and Kouichi Yamadera), but Nana Mizuki did an outstanding job, IMHO. There are certain instances where she sounds almost like a young Atsuko Tanaka.

[SQA]

Originally Posted by Shinndou

I liked it. It does have SAC vibes which is good, and I honestly don't mind the slow progression (which is another point in common with SAC).

I also don't mind Motoko's new look, I think it suits her young and impulsive personality. She's not the same Motoko we're used to know, but she might become that in the future anyway. This movie is a sort of prologue afterall.

Last note: I am not fully convinced by the new cast (especially Batou's and Togusa's VA, I still prefer Akio Ohtsuka and Kouichi Yamadera), but Nana Mizuki did an outstanding job, IMHO. There are certain instances where she sounds almost like a young Atsuko Tanaka.

While I do like Mizuki Nana, it was Sakamoto Maaya that did Motoko's voice. And she definitely sounded like a slightly younger Tanaka through most of it.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

I got the answer. This is a reference to GitS2:MMI. In MMI the characters visited a cemetery that was essentially the size of a 3D carpark. The idea is that Japan lack living space as it is, so the concept of your own piece of land to be buried in was a luxury. Note that some people appear to still be buried; it's just that those who can't afford it, end up in those compact body storage areas. Motoko's real parents probably were nobodies who weren't that well off, so they end up in the concrete graveyard.
Edit: Real life examples using ash urns.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8302476.stm

I haven't read MMI, but this makes it even more weird to me. Presently the vast majority of Japanese people are cremated (afaik more than 99%), and from what we've seen of the world of GITS in any incarnation, I don't see why they would've switched to full-body-intact burial for mostly-flesh individuals. (The fact that Mamuro was buried was in itself a bit weird, but well, how do you cremate a full prosthetic body? His brain being still in his head was a bit too convenient, though. If they go through the trouble of burying a fake coffin with a landmine, they could've just taken the brain, hacked the system to make it seem like everything was fine, end of story.)

Also, what with Motoko's parents being unnamed civilians (which is weird in and of itself, it's not like it was impossible to figure out their identities) who died due to a bioweapon attack, it's even weirder that they just keep them around like that instead of burning them asap... especially that apparently they've been stored on Unit 501's premises for years. (Really, how old is Motoko?)

The whole thing is a bit fishy, though perhaps I'm just thinking more about this than I'm supposed to. I do hope they'll address Motoko's childhood, though.

[Shinndou]

Originally Posted by SQA

While I do like Mizuki Nana, it was Sakamoto Maaya that did Motoko's voice. And she definitely sounded like a slightly younger Tanaka through most of it.

D'oh, I totally though it was Mizuki Nana!

They do have similar voices.

[SQA]

Originally Posted by kuromitsu

I haven't read MMI, but this makes it even more weird to me. Presently the vast majority of Japanese people are cremated (afaik more than 99%), and from what we've seen of the world of GITS in any incarnation, I don't see why they would've switched to full-body-intact burial for mostly-flesh individuals. (The fact that Mamuro was buried was in itself a bit weird, but well, how do you cremate a full prosthetic body? His brain being still in his head was a bit too convenient, though. If they go through the trouble of burying a fake coffin with a landmine, they could've just taken the brain, hacked the system to make it seem like everything was fine, end of story.)

Also, what with Motoko's parents being unnamed civilians (which is weird in and of itself, it's not like it was impossible to figure out their identities) who died due to a bioweapon attack, it's even weirder that they just keep them around like that instead of burning them asap... especially that apparently they've been stored on Unit 501's premises for years. (Really, how old is Motoko?)

The whole thing is a bit fishy, though perhaps I'm just thinking more about this than I'm supposed to. I do hope they'll address Motoko's childhood, though.

Well, cremation with cybernetic implants? It's not going to compress as much.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by SQA

Well, cremation with cybernetic implants? It's not going to compress as much.

This does bring up a question; what to do with a Cyberbrain?

It seems to suggest that you can't just throw it into blast furnace to melt it down. That they need to spend serious money to dismantle a cyberbrain to remove the organic bits from the metal bits.

This could be because cyberbrains are considered human bodyparts. As such unless you surgically separate the brain matter first, the entire thing can't be treated like scrap metal. There are rules that determine what you can and can't do with a corpse. So it could all be because of strict regulations managing cybernetic corpses.

[SQA]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

This does bring up a question; what to do with a Cyberbrain?

It seems to suggest that you can't just throw it into blast furnace to melt it down. That they need to spend serious money to dismantle a cyberbrain to remove the organic bits from the metal bits.

This could be because cyberbrains are considered human bodyparts. As such unless you surgically separate the brain matter first, the entire thing can't be treated like scrap metal. There are rules that determine what you can and can't do with a corpse. So it could all be because of strict regulations managing cybernetic corpses.

To be honest, it strikes me as one of the most brutal areas of property law that would ever arise. hehe

[kuromitsu]

Actually, perhaps treating it like scrap metal and destroying it without a trace could be the best choice. I mean, the cyberbrain keeps working and is accessible after the person it belonged to died, so if it's kept around, anyone can access a part of the dead person's core existence (ghost or no ghost). It's a pretty disturbing thought in itself, but just think of the ways something like can be abused.

(It reminds me of Himitsu -Top Secret- where the story is about a somewhat Section 9-esque team that solves crimes using an equipment that can extract the memories from a dead person's brain for five years back. It's exactly as creepy and disturbing as it sounds. Brrr.)

[creb]

I've always assumed there are ways to wipe a cyberbrain without melting it down. It's essentially a computer afterall. I would guess that normal people in this society have their brains wiped prior to burial.

Though, if I was running things, I would have kept a National Archive where we kept copies of everyone's cyberbrain information pulled from their brains at time of death/morgue/wherever possible, so as to create a distributed network for all sorts of interesting applications. (At the very least, I'd slap a Google Search box on it, hehehe).

[Helius]

Originally Posted by creb

I've always assumed there are ways to wipe a cyberbrain without melting it down. It's essentially a computer afterall. I would guess that normal people in this society have their brains wiped prior to burial.

A cyberbrain is more of an interface than a full-on computer per se, 'cause you'd need a certain percentage of brain tissue to function, what with retaining the "Ghost" and all.

Like Aramaki says the cost of disposing a prosthetic body is so expensive it's cheaper to just bury it and call it a day.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by creb

I've always assumed there are ways to wipe a cyberbrain without melting it down. It's essentially a computer afterall. I would guess that normal people in this society have their brains wiped prior to burial.

Well, the plot of this episode hinged on Mamuro's brain not being wiped (at least the way I understood it).

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by creb

I've always assumed there are ways to wipe a cyberbrain without melting it down. It's essentially a computer afterall. I would guess that normal people in this society have their brains wiped prior to burial.

The problem isn't that it is a computer; the problem is that somewhere inside is an actual human brain. The brain might have been altered by resins and what not, but it is still there. And it is NOT designed to be easily separated from the mechanical parts. Why would it be? When you get a cyberbrain you don't intended to go back to an organic body again.

So the issue is where does the machine ends and the corpse begins. Human corpse disposal is heavily regulated, as it should be. Buying and selling of skulls and other human remains is not normally done, and disposal of human bodyparts is not something you do by the bagload.

[SQA]

You'd never be able to completely remove human protein matter from the metal. It's an issue that complicates a number of issues when it comes to dealing with brain matter from any species. So extracting anything "safe" and useful isn't going to happen.