Re: Putting Ghost in the Shell in context?

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:32:29 -0700, macross3@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi, I'm 41 and relatively new to Anime. My 11 year-old son is an
Anime maniac :) I recently finished watching Ghost in the Shell SAC
all the way through. I initially thought that the show was little too
violent, but I did get dragged in by the plot and the characters. In
the end I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Being new to this I'd like
to try and put GITS into some sort of cultural context in my brain.

You could start with the movie the series was originally spun off of:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Ghost_in_the_Shell/540533

Derek Janssen
eja...@xxxxxxxxxxx

What about the manga that spawned the movie?
--


The problem for a newcomer is distinguishing between all the
differences, specifically in the portrayal of Motoko.

Manga Motoko is much more happy go lucky and "anime" like. Movie
Motoko is essentially a robotic quote machine, while TV series is
portrayed more like a career woman (extremely professional at work,
keeps her personal life private)

I say stay the course and stick with the TV series. At least finish
season 2 (2nd Gig) before exploring the other versions.

I agree. The manga, though, is useful in understanding the world view and
the fictional technology. The original series provided more insight into
the geo-politics of Motoko's world. Man-Machine Interface (or MANMACHNE
INTERFACE to use the spelling of the Japanese edition) departs even further
from the plot of the anime - that is, to the extent that Man-Machine
Interface can be said to have a plot. Furthermore, Motoko is portrayed
even more frivolously than in the first manga series. Yet, Man-Machine
Interface elaborates substantially on the technology and world view behind
all the Ghost in the Shell media.

Man-Machine Interface came out before the first TV series. Thus, Japanese
viewers who had read it had some assistance in understanding some of the
more obscure aspects of the TV series.
--

Phil
.

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