[Music]

GitS SAC OST 2

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Yoko Kanno]

The second helping of Yoko Kanno’s music written for the GitS: SAC series proves to be of equal quality alongside the first album, if slightly different in style and atmosphere. Once again it’s a typically Kanno-esque mixture of styles and genres that borrow from numerous times and cultures; incidentally it makes for excellent driving music!

Cyberbird starts the record off at a brisk pace and features ethereal-sounding vocal harmonies from that mysterious Gabriela Robin to give it that almost magical quality that Kanno’s vocal tracks often show. It doesn’t so much say anything by itself as set up a feel for what the album sets out to achieve; the atmosphere that a soundtrack provides is an important factor in how effective I consider it to be but fortunately this tune also sounds great taken out of context and played on its own. The full version of the second season opener Rise is featured here too, expanding the TV-sized arrangement with additional verses and a guitar-driven breakdown/middle eight section. It lacks that stratospheric vibe of Inner Universe but the pulsating beat makes it sound more insistent and Origa’s superb vocals give a great sense of continuity.

[2 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

GitS SAC Solid State Society

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

I was going about my updates as normal but all of a sudden I had writer’s block earlier this week. With no other reasons apparent, I’ve decided that a contagious Hiatus Disease is spreading through the blogsphere with the unwanted virulence and speed of a 4chan meme. To kick my butt back into gear I’ve decided to take on the new feature film from the GitS SAC franchise in the hope that things will return to normal, if only for me.

[8 Comments]

[OAVs, Movies and Full Series]

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

The seminal feature film that was Ghost in the Shell has long been lauded among fans as a landmark production, combining jaw-dropping visuals that combined cel and CGI animation, blistering action and a plot laden with philosophical musings concerning the nature of the human soul. It is perhaps one of the most hyped animated feature films as a result but there’s no denying its historical significance. Mamoru Oshii returned to the director’s chair almost a decade afterwards to revisit the futuristic world that manga artist Masumune Shirow created to give us another thought-provoking and occasionally shocking tale.

Questions, questions, questions

[1 Comment]

[Music]

Be Human OST

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Yoko Kanno]

“There’s no danger, we’re just killing time again why they order up new parts…”

This post’s song quote is from a modern concept album which, coincidentally, is I suppose a fair way of describing Be Human, the GitS SAC soundtrack album that revolves around the idea of, well, ‘being human’. The tachikomas of the SAC, like Ray Kurzweil who indirectly inspired the lyrics above, were prone to discussing what it means to be human in a world of computers and AI - a recurring theme of the series that forms the concept of this record. Basically, it’s a concept album that’s dedicated to the endearing little ‘think tanks’ - if it hadn’t been penned by Ms Kanno I probably would have given it a go on that reason alone.

[2 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC 2nd Gig episodes 24-26 and Final Thoughts

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

And so the second season of the SAC finally draws to a close…it’s a moment I didn’t really want to see so soon but it’s a satisfying and gripping conclusion to the current story arc. Ladies and gentlemen, the proverbial shit has hit the fan! The crisis in Dejima boils over into a full-on military assault, prime minister Kayabuki is the subject of a political coup and the members of Section Nine are split up as they try to prevent Nagasaki disappearing under a mushroom cloud. Again. With only a few minor criticisms, this is a good ending to a very good series.

[6 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC: 2nd Gig episodes 21-23

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

It’s fair to say that Section Nine have come unstuck. For once, their mission has failed and things show no sign of getting any better. Kuze escapes and it appears he has a consignment of plutonium with him; a crisis looms in Dejima’s refugee camp and Gohda seems to be running rings around pretty much everyone.

The opening instalment here is a really action-packed affair: Batou’s face-off with Kuze for once gives him an opponent worthy of his skills. They start with guns, then knives and finally a good old-fashioned fist-fight with no clear-cut victor until the end. Saito and his Tachikoma also have to deal with the cyberpunk equivalent of a zombie and in the fog of it all Kuze does a runner to Dejima after slipping through the coastguard’s net.

[No Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC 2nd Gig episodes 17-20

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

The fifth outing kicks off in rather sedate style with a couple of episodes that take Motoko and Batou out of their usual territory. It’s back to business in the second half though, as Section Nine go into Dejima to track down Kuze in the refugee camp - overall this is another refreshingly varied instalment that keeps things tense and fast-moving.

[No Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC: 2nd Gig episodes 13-16

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

After the third instalment that provided some much-needed attention on the characters, disc 4 seems to continue the trend with two more of the supporting cast members, Paz and Saito, getting their own episodes dedicated to them. Then there’s the token Tachikoma episode followed by some more details concerning the Individual Eleven: overall it’s a fairly well-balanced, if not flawless, set of episodes that carry the series through the notoriously tricky midpoint of the episode run.

[No Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC: 2nd Gig episodes 9-12

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

This part of the series seems to focus more on the characterisation side of things, which I feel is both welcome and quite important. The volume kicks off with a very interesting encounter with the troublesome Gohda, followed soon after by Togusa getting some screentime again when he lands himself in trouble…with the law, ironically.

[1 Comment]

[Anime Reviews]

GitS SAC: 2nd Gig episodes 5-8

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Ghost in the Shell]

The Second Gig continues in great style with some tantalising new details concerning the identity and nature of the Individual Eleven, Togusa gets some time in the spotlight for a change, the Tachikomas blast the hell out of some bad guys and Gohda causes all manner of mischief. Good stuff all round.

[1 Comment]