Ask John: Should Viewers Have High Expectations for Ghost in the Shell: Arise?

Question:
I know it’s probably not wise to speculate, but what are your hopes or expectations, if any, for the upcoming Ghost in the Shell: Arise prequel/reboot? As a franchise that set both Japanese and international fans on edge before achieving new greats when it expanded to become a two-season TV series and with the film sequel, I feel it will easily survive the worst of mishandlings, but also trust things won’t be that bad. However, there’s been a good deal of negative reaction to the redesign of the characters for GitS: Arise. Since the franchise is so well known, it’s bound to get a lot of attention. I also don’t really know how to put this prequel/reboot into context as a fairly casual consumer of anime. What’s your perspective?

Answer:
Although I don’t consider myself a hardcore Ghost in the Shell devotee, I have watched all of the GitS anime released so far, including even the 2D footage from the 1997 Playstation game. I share the widespread trepidation focused on Ghost in the Shell: Arise, particularly because attempting to create a prequel or reboot invites possibility for catastrophe even greater than the option of sequel does. For example, the reboots of both Dirty Pair and Hanaukyo Maid Tai were inferior to their original series. However, one reason for hope that anime otaku in particular may cling to is the rather unique circumstance that anime which involve a great deal of creative talent or anime that receive a great deal of investment typically show positive results. The dubious adage “too many cooks in the kitchen” seems to apply more often than not to American studio features but frequently doesn’t actually apply to anime. Countless anime productions with all-star production staffs, like Denno Coil, Madoka Magica, Code Geass, Summer Wars, and Welcome to the Space Show, and anime productions that aim for unusually elaborate or high production values like Macross F, Death Note, Seirei no Moribito, Kurozuka, Hyouka and K usually turn out to be quite impressive. The staff behind “Arise” are very conscious of the international expectations for the OVA series, and doubtlessly Production I.G will make every effort possible to ensure that the production doesn’t disappoint.

Personally, I appreciate the way character designer Kazuchika Kise has rendered the familiar Section 9 characters subtly younger-looking than they appear in the Stand Alone Complex franchise. However, I’m personally still getting used to Motoko’s alternate haircut, and more significantly, Kise’s new character designs are all typified by especially wide foreheads and an atypical lack of shadows and shading on faces reminiscent of the character design style that Yoshiyuki Sadamoto used in Summer Wars. These broad brows look fine on middle-aged male characters, but they’re a bit more distractingly striking on younger female characters including Kurutsu and especially Kusanagi. The wide brow, wide-set eyes, and lack of facial shading particularly give Motoko Kusanagi an almost fish-eye appearance that looks a bit more appropriate to a high school romantic comedy anime than an intellectual cyberpunk political thriller. Furthermore, the production appears to have done an admirable job of making Kusanagi’s personality slightly more impulsive and emotional, evoking a sense of youthfulness prior to the more cynical and detached character that viewers associate with the older, more experienced Major Motoko Kusanagi. However, while the slight shift in Kusanagi’s personality makes sense; it’s still just different enough from familiarity to put viewers slightly off-balance. The animation quality on display in the footage released thus far has been good and certainly adequate, but not quite as fluid as the big-budget Innocence film or the record-setting budgeted Stand Alone Complex.

As a franchise reboot, viewers will have to consciously approach Ghost in the Shell: Arise as an entirely new entity. Direct comparison to the previous GitS anime will almost certainly lead to a degree of disappointment if only because “Arise” isn’t trying to emulate or continue prior continuity. I think, and hope, that the trepidatious reaction to “Arise” is only a matter of initial culture shock: surprise over the boldness of the redesign. The Ghost in the Shell franchise hasn’t turned in a poor anime installment yet, and Production I.G is internationally respected for consistently producing outstanding animated works – animation that excels in not only literal animation quality but also literary and narrative quality. So I believe and hope that with a bit more time and exposure viewers will approach GitS: Arise with a clean palate and find that the mini-series is admirable on its own, unique merits.