Production I.G.'s Musashi Miyamoto

One of anime's legendary creators and directors, Mamoru Oshii, best known for Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, and The Sky Crawlers, is developing and writing a Production I.G. samurai anime film. The film, "Musashi Miyamoto: Sōken ni Haseru Yume" (Musashi Miyamoto: The Dream of Riding with Two Swords), is scheduled for release early summer of 2009.

The staff list looks to be a mighty one indeed and most seem to have had some kind of role in Oshii's Ghost in the Shell films. Joining Oshii, Mizuho Nishikubo (animation director of the GITS films) will be taking the role of director. Nishikubo also directed the "Otogi Zoshi" TV series. Animation director Kazuto Nakazawa (Samurai Champloo and Kill Bill: Volume 1) is set for character design. Kazuchika Kise (Blood+, GITS, and Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone) as animation director and supervisor; Shuichi Hirata (GITS 2, Metropolis) in art design; and Makoto Endo (Blood+ and GITS:SAC) in computer animation.

The story will center on Musashi Miyamoto, one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. He pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū style of two-sword fighting and wrote The Book of Five Rings, a book that has been compared to Sun Tzu's The Art of War for its insight on tactics and strategy.

Ghost in the Shell 3D Live Action

DreamWorks comes out on top, passing both Universal and Sony, for licensing rights to adapt Masamune Shirow's "Ghost in the Shell" cyber-police manga into a 3D live-action film. The story of an elite paramilitary unit in future Japan has already been adapted into three animated films and two television anime series.

DreamWorks has released the second animated Ghost in the Shell film, "Innocence," in North America. DreamWorks also released "Millennium Actress" and produced "Transformers," another live-action science-fiction film with Japanese roots. DreamWorks' co-founder Steven Spielberg expressed his enthusiasm for the project stating that "Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks." [Source: ANN]

Ghost in the Shell Crystal Art Works

Bandai has released three stunningly beautiful pieces of "Ghost in the Shell" art, each 21,000 yen. These pieces are just too gorgeous to form any words to remotely describe to capture their full effect.

I have yet to find any import retail providers that carry these GiTS Crystal Art Works. If anyone knows any retailers that are shipping to the US, please let me know. But, of course, if you don't have that obstacle, just head down to Hobby Japan.

Solid State Society

I was finally able to watch "Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society" and boy, was it worth the wait. The year is 2030, two years has passed since the Individual Eleven incident and Major Motoko Kusanagi's resignation from the elite group known as Public Security No. 9. Togusa is now taking the effective leadership position and the group is investigating a series of odd suicides by bureaucratic individuals.

Talk about a topsy-turvy plot...the story is so immersed and never turns the dial down until the credits eventually roll. Even at that moment, you are still left with reminiscent thoughts of the surprising and wild conclusion. The execution of this movie was incredible and the artistry of it all is highly commendable. Our favorite characters are back and with the changing times, character design is done so as to connect with the audience that time has not stood still.

No one element was disregarded or imperfect -- in short, the crew really had all the bases covered. I didn't think GITS' CG animation could get any better, but I'm sure glad I was proven wrong. You can tell how much consideration and thought was given to every little piece of detail. I don't want to give out much more detail of the story, it is truly a masterpiece you have to enjoy firsthand. So it comes to no surprise that I state, this movie is a MUST-SEE and I bet noone will be able to watch SSS once.

It is another success for Yoko Kanno, the continuing music composer for the "Ghost in the Shell" franchise. You can always expect great things from Kanno, and SSS was no exception. Among many other extras, the limited edition release includes the SSS original soundtrack and is well worth every single penny, yen, euro, or whatever. Amidst my many Kanno favorites, the tracks titled "player," "zero signal," and "undivided" join the list. The 3-disc set is no mere edition. Especially note-worthy is the "Work World File" recounting every crucial moment in the entire GITS world. It really takes you back in time to the very first episode of the first season and opens it up to the future.

Compelling, riveting, addicting, SSS does a wonderful job of keeping the integrity and interconnections of GITS intact, while simultaneously building anew.

GiTS: Solid State Society

Monday night marked the grand opening of Ani-Monday, Sci-Fi channel's brand new and only anime programming block. Starting off with a bang, Ani-Monday brought us the U.S. premiere of "Ghost in the Shell: SAC: Solid State Society."

With the miniscule prospects of a subbed showing of SSS, I was, as expected, let down in the end. I decided to go ahead and wait a couple more weeks until my copy of SSS arrives so I can watch it properly in its original format. Therefore, my review will have to be put on hold until that day comes. But in the meantime, I will leave you with a brief synopsis of the movie courtesy of Production I.G.

A.D. 2034. It has been two years since Motoko Kusanagi left Section 9. Togusa is now the new leader of the team, that has considerably increased its appointed personnel. The expanded new Section 9 confronts a rash of complicated incidents, and investigations reveal that an ultra-wizard hacker named the Puppeteer is behind the entire series of events.

Satoshi Kon in DC

An ominous feeling filled the air as I finally arrived on the National Mall (DC) early Saturday morning, after a long and seemingly slow-motion trek pushing through tourists and the like. This past weekend marked the end of this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival. And right smack in the middle of all the mayhem, laid the Fifth Annual Cherry Blossom Anime Marathon at the Meyer Auditorium in the Freer Gallery of Art.

As I walked to the ticket box office to pick up the "first-come, first-serve tickets," I was greeted with a long and winding line that seemed to have no end. I was pleasantly surprised at the turn out this year. From old to young, from novices to experts, the crowd represented both extremes of the spectrum and everything else in between. From the looks of things, avid anime fans were the minority group in this event. The line moved pretty swiftly and after a brief moment of anxiousness for fear of running out of tickets, I had my hands on my passes to the four movies featured this year -- "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie," "Tachigui," "Tokyo Godfathers," and "Paprika."

Running all day alongside the movies, was a sort of documentary of the evolution of anime fandom, presented by the DC Anime Club. The audience took to "Tachigui," the live-action anime hybrid by "Ghost in the Shell" director Mamoru Oshii, differently. Some deemed it boring or confusing, while anime "fans" were able to pick up on its comedic elements and enjoy the movie. Expectedly, however, the highlight of the day was the second half of the line-up.

"Tokyo Godfathers" took the audience by storm and as Satoshi Kon put it most succinctly, "Tokyo Godfathers" embodies happiness. His introduction nicely set up the stage for the movie. Constant laughter filled the auditorium and the uproar did not subside until the ending credits started to roll. It was amazing to see how many poor souls had yet to see this movie (and many others), let alone the fact that it's been available on DVD for ages. And unfortunately, many will never know the greatness that is anime. But back to the topic at hand...

A short Q&A session rolled in before the viewing of "Paprika." I say short, because I still feel utter resentment and disappointment that I was unable to ask my question. Out of all the questions asked, two, at most, were viable. The rest screamed pure ignorance...just Google your damn simple question and let others ask theirs. Excuse me, like I said, resentment on my part, still ensues. So with the exception of his answer to my question unasked, we learned that Satoshi really enjoys directing full-length movies. He currently has no plans to create another TV series to follow "Paranoia Agent." In actuality, "Paranoia Agent" did not arise with the intent of creating a TV series. Perfectly good ideas that arose but couldn't be implemented while Satoshi was working on "Perfect Blue" and "Millennium Actress" was "recycled" and led to the creation of "Paranoia Agent." In the mean time, Satoshi is currently working on his newest full-length movie set in the far far-distant future, rather than the frequent not-so-distant anime works. For Satoshi "followers," you can bet that the world created by him will be anything but ordinary.

The day was full of ups and downs, but in the end, it was nice to watch these movies again and a great pleasure to see Satoshi Kon. And just for those of you who are curious as to what my question was...I wanted to know what his mind-set and inspiration was when he created "Paprika." Be that as it may, his introduction to "Paprika" was perfectly said, a world of imagery at best. The ride back home was just as crazy as coming in. And you know your life revolves around anime when you've spent a whole day watching anime movies at the Cherry Blossom Marathon and when you finally get home, you pop in more anime.

Motoko Kusanagi PVC

Released earlier this year, this stunning figure sports our favorite Major, "Ghost in the Shell's" Motoko Kusanagi. Several Motoko figures have been released since the show's inception, but never have I seen such perfection and attention to detail in any GiTS figure. This has got to be the absolute best figure of the Major in existence.

Motoko stands at 7 inches tall donned on a custom base featuring the GiTS logo. Words really can't describe this particular figure. Now if you don't have one yet or haven't put in your order, you might have a tough time landing your hands on this great piece of art. This figure went like hot cakes and there's no surprise there. This is versatility at its best...definitely a figure with that "wow" factor regardless of whether or not you're fully versed or a great fan of the series.

While Motoko has found a home in my room, this newest Tachikoma figure has sadly not reached my shelf...anyone willing to donate money :P Anyways, this is so lifelike, it truly feels like a miniature version of a real Tachikoma. Now is your chance go grab this Tachikoma, with fully functional joints, etc. and a mini Motoko that can be posed inside the Tachikoma.

Innocence on Blu-ray

My copy of "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" on Blu-ray disc finally arrived from Japan yesterday and you can bet I ran straight to my room with utter excitement. The experience was better than I had anticipated. And as expected, there is a marked difference in audio and visual quality in the Blu-ray version as compared to the original DVD release. I felt as if I were thrown back into the world of "Innocence," watching it for first time since it came out in 2004. The opening sequence really showed off the quality Blu-ray technology has to offer. It's hard to explain it in greater detail than that, but all I can say is that my mouth was agape with astonishment for most of the movie.

The BD comes with the original movie release as well as the international release version. The movie is thankfully left in its original Japanse language, with subtitles available in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, and French. The Making Of, featurettes, and trailers are some of the extras included. Unfortunately, none of the extras come with any subtitles. The only thing lacking, with the exception of the absence of subtitles in the extras, was its plain packaging — one disc and nothing else. I don't know if it's a matter of costs of production and time constraints, but here's hoping that'll change with the wave of BD anime releases to come. Thus far, the one-disc packaging has been consistent for all BD releases, if I'm not mistaken. Be that as it may, "Innocence" on Blu-ray will give you a ride you won't forget. Be wary though as region coding has been shifted and does not necessarily match DVD region coding. But this is great news for U.S. fans as U.S. and Japan finally share the same code.

SAC: White Maze

Continuing the "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" novel series, Volume 3: "White Maze," is anything but ordinary and predictable. The plot development was awe-inspiring and beautifully balanced, as if meticulously measured yet natural. Scenes were not overly packed and focused with the Tachikomas like in Volume 2: "Revenge of the Cold Machines." Yet there was enough of everything to please all fans.

"White Maze" returns to the one-story mode as in Volume 1: "The Lost Memory." I find that the one-story mode is more aesthetically pleasing rather than applying the 3-stories-in-1 method. But depending on the individual circumstances, I can't exclusively rule out the multi-story method.

As I mentioned in my review of "The Lost Memory," the english translation lies on the mediocre side. Quality is still left in tact because of everything else it has to offer. Out of the three volumes currently available, "Revenge of the Cold Machines" does to best job as far as translation goes. "The White Maze" is sprinkled with simple errors such as spelling mistakes. I almost feel compelled to take the position of editor.

Be that as it may, "White Maze" has plenty to offer. The cover art for the SAC novels are vividly stunning and so fluid. It would be difficult not to find beauty behind the art which embodies the profound characters and plot.

As far as I know, no word has yet to be announced for a possible fourth volume. As I closed "White Maze," I felt a sense of satisfaction and thrill that was suddenly replaced by a feelings the urge to read more SAC only to be remedied with the release of future novels.

SAC: Revenge of the Cold Machines

Volume 2 of the "Ghost in the Shell: SAC" novel series continues the exciting trend readers encountered in Volume 1. This time around, three seemingly separate, yet linked, stories are presented. Section 9 Chief Daisuke Aramaki is a target of assassination. Subsequent events reveal the bigger plot being concocted behind the scenes.

"Revenge of the Cold Machines" is full of action, twists and turns, and never loses steam for the entire duration of the novel. The tachikomas take a much greater role and should no doubt please many fans. A hard book to put down!

SAC: The Lost Memory

Extending the hit TV series, "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex," the first volume of the SAC novel gives fans more of what they love best. "The Lost Memory" focuses on a young terrorist group known as the "Good Morning Terrorists." The mystery behind the crimes committed by the Good Morning Terrorists have yet to be solved and it's up to Kusanagi and gang to reveal the truth behind their flamboyant expedition.

"The Lost Memory" is fast-paced filled with the characters we all love like Major Kusanagi and Batou, for example. References to the TV show, such as the Laughing Man, are strategically placed in the novel. It keeps you hooked to the very end. Despite being set in the not-so-distant-future, the balance between future technology and the roots of human thought and action is nicely even, emphasizing the already known fact. The fact being that GiTS is on a higher caliber. Anyone can pick up this book: if you're new to the series or have yet to watch SAC, this novel gives you a nice taste of what you've been missing. If you're a veteran of the series, "The Lost Memory" is done gracefully keeping the integrity of the original plot. You will be in for a treat. And anyways, who wouldn't want more SAC?

Japanese to English translations are always risky, but must be done if we are ever able to get a chance to read these wonderful stories. Some translations have been really bad, but there is a good number of successes. "The Lost Memory" is somewhere in the middle. The translation wasn't flawless, but luckily the plot is so deeply intriguing and integrated that it does not jeopardize the story. The best translation I have encountered thus far are with the "Vampire Hunter D" novels. Nevertheless, this novel is worth picking up.

Volumes 2 and 3, "Revenge of the Cold Machines" and "'White Maze," are now available in stores.

After the Long Goodbye

Masaki Yamada provided my entertainment during my business trip to Florida this week with “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, After the Long Goodbye.” There are only a few titles out there that have had a huge impact and effect in my life and the way I view everything, I add “Ghost in the Shell” to that list, right below “Evangelion.” To be more precise, it has always been on my list, but after reading this, “Ghost in the Shell” has gotten a huge boost.

The short description on the back cover of “After the Long Goodbye” does absolutely no justice whatsoever to revealing the true eloquence and deep philosophies of the actual story. “After the Long Goodbye” is the prequel to the “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” film. On the surface of it all, we have Batou searching for his only companion (after "losing" Motoko), his dog Gabriel. But within this seemingly simple surface, lies a world of discovery and uncertainty - the philosophies and dualities of life. The Motifs and themes of the story all relate to innocence, purity, identity, the soul, the self, feelings, love, and memories. In a world of cyborgs and the most advanced technology questions, the make-up of humans is broken down in the most minute details, including how a thought is processed. The areas of uncertainties lie in the soul. As we follow Batou, the meanings of identity and innocence are explored and analyzed. In the end, the journey to identify the existence of a soul could reveal emptiness and render it pointless. Could it be that we all are ghosts in a shell apart from our innocent forms?

This novel is written beautifully and is definitely one of a kind. I recommend this to all fans of GitS. A synopsis that captures the novel in its entirety is almost impossible. The only way to understand is to read it. So that being said, I invite you to pick up “After the Long Goodbye.”

Ghost in the Shell Live Action

Production I.G. has received permissions from Kodansha to produce a Live Action "Ghost in the Shell." Negotiations with the U.S. have commenced, but I can't help but feel torned. "Ghost in the Shell" is, in its own genre and beyond, perfect. Producing a live action is great in theory but leaves open the chance of degrading the true essence and allure that is "Ghost in the Shell." However, based on the huge fan-base in America, I still have hope that this will turn out to be a great theatrical experience, especially with the response that SAC has received from U.S. fans. I guess only time will tell if justice will have been done.