Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Volume 1 Talkback(Spoilers)

[Funkatron]

Just got my copy today. I decided to get the standard editionm since I have nothing that'll support the DTS.

I've only seen 1.5 eps, but so far so good. Nice action, nice "make you think" moments. And those blue robot thingies can talk?? What the...

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[RedBoot]

It's not officially out til tomorrow (well, today now), so whatever store you went to was naughty and broke the street date. :p

[lostrune]

I've only seen 1.5 eps, but so far so good. Nice action, nice "make you think" moments. And those blue robot thingies can talk?? What the...

If you're talking about the fuchikomas, they always talked in the manga. Quite funny fellas too. :D

Anyhow, the "complex" eps are interesting, but the "stand-alone" eps can get tedious after awhile. :shrug:

[Funkatron]

It's not officially out til tomorrow (well, today now), so whatever store you went to was naughty and broke the street date. :p
I pre-ordered it, silly. They always send the stuff early so I can get it around the release date

[Beefy]

That 3D opening looks ... expensive.

I'm digging the music. I hope future releases will also include OSTs.

[Deadly Messiah]

It's not officially out til tomorrow (well, today now), so whatever store you went to was naughty and broke the street date. :p
Who cares. I like stores that break street dates because I usually get the stuff the weekend before the release date, so I can watch them on Sat/Sun.

As for GitS, when is it coming to CN? I'm going to watch it on TV before I decide whether to buy it or not.

Also, what studio dubs it?

[NewLib]

Why do I have the feeling this will be another slow, plodding anime and will not do well in ratings because of that?

[Youko Recca]

That's not a healthy thinking menality.

[NewLib]

No but its a realistic one. You think WS would of gotten the point by now that slow animes do not get ratings.

[Beefy]

As for GitS, when is it coming to CN? Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 11:00 pm.

Also, what studio dubs it? http://www.dangerouslybeefy.com/imgs/mb/sace1.jpg

[Killtacular]

I like how the intro can easily be shortened to 60 seconds by Cartoon Network because that's exactly when the logo cuts in, so they can fade out there.

[Invader_Spooch]

Any particular reason this release didn't involve a box? I like the SE and all (I had to pick it up for my fiance), but I wonder why there they didn't include an art box.


Hopefully they will do so with the final disc...

[Funkatron]

Cause they'd have to do 2 art boxes: one for all the standard releases and one for all the SE DTS releases (yup, they're gonna be 2 versions of each volume). Also, if someone decided to mix and match, they'd be out of luck

[Sampo]

Why do I have the feeling this will be another slow, plodding anime and will not do well in ratings because of that?After watching the DVD and the 4 episodes it contains, yup I agree its slow, plodding anime. It's similar to Witch Hunter Robin, yet much better in the action/gore department.

The hightlight for me watching these episodes was how those agile Tachikoma (spider mechas) moved around on the screen. Also having Sandy Fox for the VA for em is a nice treat too.

Here is the listing for the English VA's in the credits, most likely they were already mentioned in another thread. But I'm going to post a screen cap anyway:


http://home.hawaii.rr.com/wizardgrey/images/Temp/gitscredits.jpg

[Beefy]

I still can't figure out what Manga does for this release. Everything I can see (except the website) is all Bandai.

[livingfruitvirus]

I still can't figure out what Manga does for this release. Everything I can see (except the website) is all Bandai.
They moved a piece of paper from one desk to another.

[Invader_Spooch]

Woah, the girl who plays Kusanagi did the vocals for the main theme to Silent Hill 3 ( I love Silent Hill). 0_0 Among many other things.. She has been around.

Cool. ^_^

[Daizaburo Estes]

Hey, what do ya know? This Batou's being played by one of the best "Jigen"s around! And I just spotted a Crispin Freeman...sounds so familiar... :shrug:

[TylerL]

They moved a piece of paper from one desk to another.
Damn, that sounds like a wonderful job. I'd take it.

[Sampo]

Woah, the girl who plays Kusanagi did the vocals for the main theme to Silent Hill 3 ( I love Silent Hill). 0_0 Among many other things.. She has been around.

Cool. ^_^When I first heard Kusanagi speak, I was like WTH it's Hilda (from Outlaw Star). :D

Hey, what do ya know? This Batou's being played by one of the best "Jigen"s around! And I just spotted a Crispin Freeman...sounds so familiar... :shrug:I didn't recoginize Batou's VA till I looked it up... He also did Hiko Seijuro, Kenshin's Teacher (Rurouni Kenshin). No wonder, I thought I heard his voice before.

The English VA's did a pretty good job IMO.

[Pimmelmann]

When I first heard Kusanagi speak, I was like WTH it's Hilda (from Outlaw Star). :D

According to an interview I read, she also wrote (and directed?) the English dub to Adult Swim's very own Wolf's Rain. She is also kinda sorta good lookin', which is why I remembered this factoid.

[Karl Olson]

Why do I have the feeling this will be another slow, plodding anime and will not do well in ratings because of that?

In the wake of the ratings failure of Wolf's Rain and Witch Hunter Robin, a lot of people, myself included, have questioned whether Stand Alone Complex will sell, as it is a somewhat cerebral, philosophical series. Well, after watching the first DVD 3 times in past 3 days, I'm fairly certain it will be a success.

Unlike, Wolf's Rain and WHR, which very slowly ease into what's happening, GitS drop kicks you into the series with genuinely well done action and compelling stories. The soundtrack, is among Yoko Kanno's finest, and with it's tech-rock, ambient and glitch blend, it feels at home among the downtempo music in the bumpers. The writing is top-notch as well, with human characters, real philosophy and real emotion all combining to create a great show. The animation, at double the usual cost per episode for a TV anime (so likely between 400-500k per episode,) is gorgeous in all aspects, with the CG being a particular feat. It's the real deal, and it's a name brand to boot (remember, the GitS movie was the first anime to ever top the Billboard sales charts.) Probably the best buy CN could have made, especially at the time they made it.

[Ben]

I don't understand how anyone can call this "slow" or "plodding." Much of it is episodic, and they get through an entire storyline in one episode. More than I can say for Wolf's Rain. But the reason I think SAC will be a success on CN is that it has several things AS's most popular anime also had: a solid episodic and serial structure, excellent music by Kanno, frequent and beautiful action sequences, and that all-important elusive aspect, COOLNESS. I don't want to call anything "the next Bebop," but I do think SAC will succeed for many of the same reasons Bebop did. Add to that, as Karl mentioned, that it already has a name in the US market, and that the new movie is coming out in September from a major American distributor, and you have a golden egg that, in my opinion, CN would have to go out of their way to screw up.

Though naturally I may end up eating my words at some point, because SAC is the first really hard sf AS has broadcast (Blue Sub was on Toonami and space operas doesn't count).

[Karl Olson]

I don't understand how anyone can call this "slow" or "plodding." Much of it is episodic, and they get through an entire storyline in one episode. More than I can say for Wolf's Rain. But the reason I think SAC will be a success on CN is that it has several things AS's most popular anime also had: a solid episodic and serial structure, excellent music by Kanno, frequent and beautiful action sequences, and that all-important elusive aspect, COOLNESS. I don't want to call anything "the next Bebop," but I do think SAC will succeed for many of the same reasons Bebop did. Add to that, as Karl mentioned, that it already has a name in the US market, and that the new movie is coming out in September from a major American distributor, and you have a golden egg that, in my opinion, CN would have to go out of their way to screw up.

Though naturally I may end up eating my words at some point, because SAC is the first really hard sf AS has broadcast (Blue Sub was on Toonami and space operas doesn't count).

It's hard sci-fi, but it's very well written sci-fi in the same stroke though, so it should be a plus, not an impediment. Only Planetes is more exacting in it's sci-fi realism and storytelling, but it's probably the hardest sci-fi ever written in Japan.

But you're definetely right, Twage; GitS:SAC is cool. Very cool. Unlike the emo-like WHR and Wolf Rain, GitS:SAC looks cool, with characters that act cool, and soundtrack that has cool written all over it. The OP is so good you can watch itself, repeatedly. Motoko Kusanagi is, for lack of a better term, badass. Plus, the sci-fi/metaphysical elements make the show genuinely deep and intelligent, with subtle symbolism in the Cowboy Bebop style. The whole show's solidly and completely on track, so it's got a headstart on the other anime that debuted on ASA this year.

You're also right on timing; GitS:SAC will be airing not that long after GitS2 hits the arthouse circut, with hype and high-praise following in it's wake. This all should combine into a show that with some decent promotion, should easily pull 500k+ in the 18-34, with 1.5+ overall. This should be great.

Should. ;)



Should. :sweat:

[lostrune]

Some eps (particularly the Standalone ones) can be slow. Like a lot of talking trying to figure things out, ala the Patlabor movies.

[Karl Olson]

Some eps (particularly the Standalone ones) can be slow. Like a lot of talking trying to figure things out, ala the Patlabor movies.

True, but so far, the payoff for those episodes has been pretty good. Talky stories are fine as long as they are good stories.

[Mynd Hed]

Hmm... seems like based on the first volume, this show vacillates between good, thought-provoking sci-fi and obscure-for-the-sake-of-obscurity-so-everyone-will-think-we're-SOOOO-deep plots, with about a 50-50 split between the two. (A far better average than either WHR or WR, btw, which both lean far more heavily toward the latter and do it far more slowly to boot.) Still, even at its worst, there's something to be said for a show in which the most likable characters are non-anthropomorphic robots. (Also, anyone happen to notice that one of them has Ed's voice?) I'll be watching with great interest when it premiered on AS to see if they work out the early-episode murkiness, because most of these episodes, even when they didn't work as well as the creators clearly wanted them to, showed great promise....