Monday, February 29, 2016

Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 4

Part 4-Border 4-Ghost Stands Alone
When a peaceful protest turns into a violent massacre, all signs point to the name Fire Starter.  Ever since she left Unit 501, Motoko has been searching for the creator of the Fire Starter virus that infused her with false memories for a time.  Now that she has a full unit, she’s ready to close in on the criminals responsible.  Will Motoko finally close the lid on this case that has haunted her for so long?  Or will she find more questions than answers in the action packed finale of Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

Well at long last and after many lengths to get my hands on it, we’ve finally come to the final episode of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise series.  Was it worth the wait?  Well…kind of?  While it is really great to see all of the key Ghost in the Shell players finally united, the “resolution” we get to this whole series long mystery is non existent.

Yes, there is no resolution to the Fire Starter mystery in “Ghost Stands Alone” (like the nod to the previous incarnation of GITS).  Instead we get one more stand alone tale that incorporates players and elements from the previous episodes in an attempt to wrap something up while stiring the pot more.  There is a pretty interesting story here though.  The subject of Ghost Dubbing reared it’s head a couple of times in Stand Alone Complex.  But multiple Ghost Dubbings is something else entirely, particularly when you’re fusing two minds.  Would you go that far to live forever after death?  How much of yourself is left after countless Dub attempts?  It’s pretty scary when you think about it.  Though not nearly as scary as Togusa getting hacked, holding his gun to his head thinking it’s a phone and talking to his dead father.  Come on, we almost lost him in Solid State Society, quit scaring us like that.

Once again, the characters shine and it’s great to see Motoko’s team together at last.  The serious work mode of SAC is here but so is the humor from the last episode.  Motoko making Batou nude in the chat room to poke fun at him was great, as was the bit where Batou took the fight outside and still got his ass handed to him.  Oh and believe it or not, we got to see the team in their downtime.  Seeing as how the episode takes place around Christmas, we’re treated to some nice final scenes: Togusa going home to his wife and newborn child; Paz, Borma, Saito and Ishikawa all having Christmas Dinner together; and Motoko and Batou sharing a drink on a boat while Batou tries to convince Motoko to go swimming with him (hey I’d love to see this Motoko in a swimsuit too).  The best moments, however, will always be Motoko and Aramaki for me.  By the end of this episode, we come to know why their bond is as solid as it has been in later iterations.  Aramaki’s little revelation to Motoko at the end clearly rocked her world and her opinion of the old ape.

The animation quality seemed to vary from moment to moment.  The intro battle is breathtaking, especially Motoko battling a chopper while falling down a skyscraper.  But once we get to the half way mark, most notably Motoko and Batou’s shootout at 501 HQ, the polish wears off and things look a little more cartoony than they should.  Even at it’s worst, Stand Alone Complex always looked like it maintained steady quality throughout.  Arise has it’s charm but the animation has been inconsistent throughout, which is a letdown.

Now, as for the Fire Starter mystery.  Turns out Arise was meant to be resolved in Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, which was released the summer after Arise ended (see my review of it here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghost-in-shell-new-movie.html)  There was also a televised version of Arise called Alternate Architetcure (AAA).  It split each OVA episode into two parts for TV broadcast and included a bonus fifth, two part story, Pyrophoric Cult, which was meant to tie up Fire Starter while seeding the events of The New Movie.  So knowing that there’s an extra episode that wasn’t included in the original release feels like a bit of a cheat on the productions part.  AAA is available for streaming and download thanks to Funimation, so I could easily download and watch it and see the resolution, maybe even review the episode down the line.  Point is, if you go from this “final” episode of Arise into The New Movie, you’re going to be confused as to why Fire Starter wasn’t resolved.  That’s pretty irritating.

And now for my final thoughts.  Flaws and all, I really liked Ghost in the Shell: Arise.  The animation may have flip flopped and the score isn’t the knock out of the park hit that Yoko Kanno’s SAC score was, but I loved the fresh takes on this cast.  Seeing the beginnings of Motoko, Batou, Togusa, Aramaki and the others was a lot of fun and it showed in their interactions.  The stiffened seriousness of Stand Alone Complex didn’t stop this series from cracking a joke more than once every few episodes.  I also really enjoyed Motoko as a younger, still flawed individual coming into her own.  She still retained her smarts and her determination but was always learning to trust others and work with a team.  Seeing her in love was one of the shows best stories, showing Motoko is still capable of feeling an emotion many, myself included, didn’t think she ever could (poor Batou).  Plus I really dig the red outfit.  If the main story had been wrapped in this initial telling, then I would rate the series higher.  But to have to track down another episode isn’t very appealing, even if ill do it eventually.  Still, what I saw did leave me wanting more, in a good way not just in a “the story wasn’t wrapped up entirely” kind of way.  If you’re a Ghost in the Shell fan, this one’s for you.  If you’re just a fan of scifi and Blade Runner especially, still give it a shot…but you might like the 1995 Oshii movie or Stand Alone Complex a bit more.

7/10
Well it’s time for a bit of a change with our next series.  Next week I’ll be taking a look at a slice of life series I know and love dearly.  There’s kendo, there’s strong female characters and…there’s sushi.  Bamboo Blade starts next week…don’t freak out ok?

PPS
Might have one other review from Katsucon that I’ve been meaning to post.  So expect a potential special double posting today.

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