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Created by | Masamune Shirow |
Original work | The Ghost in the Shell (1989–91) |
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Ghost in the Shell [a] is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tells the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi.
Animation studio Production I.G has produced several anime adaptations of the series. These include the 1995 film of the same name and its 2004 sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence ; the 2002 television series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and its 2020 follow-up, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ; and the Ghost in the Shell: Arise original video animation series. In addition, an American-produced live-action film was released on March 2017.
The original editor Koichi Yuri says: At first, Ghost in the Shell came from Shirow, but when Yuri asked "something more flashy", Shirow came up with "攻殻機動隊 Koukaku Kidou Tai (Shell Squad)" for Yuri. But Shirow was attached to including "Ghost in the Shell" as well even if in smaller type. [1]
Primarily set in the mid-twenty-first century in the fictional Japanese city of Niihama, Niihama Prefecture (新浜県新浜市, Niihama-ken Niihama-shi), [b] otherwise known as New Port City (ニューポートシティ, Nyū Pōto Shiti), the manga and the many anime adaptations follow the members of Public Security Section 9, a task-force consisting of various professionals skilled at solving and preventing crime, mostly with some sort of police background. Political intrigue and counter-terrorism operations are standard fare for Section 9, but the various actions of corrupt officials, companies, and cyber-criminals in each scenario are unique and require the diverse skills of Section 9's staff to prevent a series of incidents from escalating.
In this post-cyberpunk iteration of a possible future, computer technology has advanced to the point that many members of the public possess cyberbrains, technology that allows them to interface their biological brain with various networks. The level of cyberization varies from simple minimal interfaces to almost complete replacement of the brain with cybernetic parts, in cases of severe trauma. This can also be combined with various levels of prostheses, with a fully prosthetic body enabling a person to become a cyborg. The main character of Ghost in the Shell, Major Motoko Kusanagi, is such a cyborg, having had a terrible accident befall her as a child that ultimately required her to use a full-body prosthesis to house her cyberbrain. This high level of cyberization, however, opens the brain up to attacks from highly skilled hackers, with the most dangerous being those who will hack a person to bend to their whims.
The original Ghost in the Shell manga ran in Japan from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha's manga anthology Young Magazine , and was released in a tankōbon volume on October 2, 1991. [2] Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface followed in 1997 for 9 issues in Young Magazine, and was collected in the Ghost in the Shell: Solid Box on December 1, 2000. [3] Then a standard version with modifications and new pages was published on June 26, 2001. [4] Four stories from Man-Machine Interface that were not released in tankobon format from previous releases were later collected in Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, and published by Kodansha on July 17, 2003. [5] Several art books have also been published for the manga.
Two animated films based on the original manga have been released, both directed by Mamoru Oshii and animated by Production I.G. Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and follows the "Puppet Master" storyline from the manga. It was re-released in 2008 as Ghost in the Shell 2.0 with new audio and updated 3D computer graphics in certain scenes. [6] Innocence, otherwise known as Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence , was released in 2004, with its story based on a chapter from the first manga.
In 2008, DreamWorks and producer Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to a live-action film adaptation of the original Ghost in the Shell manga. [7] On January 24, 2014, Rupert Sanders was announced as director, with a screenplay by William Wheeler. [8] In April 2016, the full cast was announced, which included Juliette Binoche, Chin Han, Lasarus Ratuere and Kaori Momoi, and Scarlett Johansson in the lead role; [9] the casting of Johansson drew accusations of whitewashing. [10] [11] [12] [13] Principal photography on the film began on location in Wellington, New Zealand, on February 1, 2016. Filming wrapped in June 2016. [14] Ghost in the Shell premiered in Tokyo on March 16, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 31, 2017, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D. [15] It received mixed reviews, with praise for its visuals and Johansson's performance but criticism for its script. [16] [17]
In 2002, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex premiered on Animax, presenting a new telling of Ghost in the Shell independent from the original manga, focusing on Section 9's investigation of the Laughing Man hacker. [18] It was followed in 2004 by a second season titled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, which focused on the Individual Eleven terrorist group. [19] The primary storylines of both seasons were compressed into OVAs broadcast as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex The Laughing Man in 2005 and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Individual Eleven in 2006. [20] [21] Also in 2006, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society , featuring Section 9's confrontation with a hacker known as the Puppeteer, was broadcast, serving as a finale to the anime series. [22] The extensive score for the series and its films was composed by Yoko Kanno. [23]
On April 7, 2017, Kodansha and Production I.G announced that Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki would be co-directing a new Kōkaku Kidōtai anime production. [24] On December 7, 2018, it was reported by Netflix that they had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the original net animation (ONA) anime series, titled Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 , and that it would premiere on April 23, 2020. The series is in 3DCG and Sola Digital Arts collaborated with Production I.G on the project. Ilya Kuvshinov handled character designs. [25] The series had two seasons of 12 episodes each. [26]
In addition to the anime, a series of published books, two separate manga adaptations, and several video games for consoles and mobile phones have been released for Stand Alone Complex.
In 2013, a new iteration of the series titled Ghost in the Shell: Arise premiered, taking an original look at the Ghost in the Shell world, set before the original manga. It was released as a series of four original video animation (OVA) episodes (with limited theatrical releases) from 2013 to 2014, then recompiled as a 10-episode television series under the title of Kōkaku Kidōtai: Arise - Alternative Architecture. An additional fifth OVA titled Pyrophoric Cult, originally premiering in the Alternative Architecture broadcast as two original episodes, was released on August 26, 2015. [27] Kazuchika Kise served as the chief director of the series, with Tow Ubukata as head writer. [28] Cornelius was brought onto the project to compose the score for the series, with the Major's new voice actress Maaya Sakamoto also providing vocals for certain tracks.
Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, also known as Ghost in the Shell: Arise − The Movie or New Ghost in the Shell, is a 2015 film directed by Kazuya Nomura that serves as a finale to the Ghost in the Shell: Arise story arc. The film is a continuation to the plot of the Pyrophoric Cult episode of Arise, and ties up loose ends from that arc.
A manga adaptation was serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine, which started on March 13 and ended on August 26, 2013. [29] [30]
On May 25, 2024, it was announced that a new anime television series adaptation will be produced by Science Saru for a 2026 premiere. [31] Saru will be in a production committee with Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha and Production I.G. [32]
Ghost in the Shell was developed by Exact and released for the PlayStation on July 17, 1997, in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment. [33] It is a third-person shooter featuring an original storyline where the character plays a rookie member of Section 9. The video game's soundtrack Megatech Body features various techno artists, such as Takkyu Ishino, Scan X and Mijk Van Dijk. [34]
Several video games were also developed to tie into the Stand Alone Complex television series, in addition to a first-person shooter by Nexon and Neople titled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online , released in 2016. [35]
Ghost in the Shell influenced some prominent filmmakers. The Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix and its sequels, showed it to producer Joel Silver, saying, "We wanna do that for real." [36] The Matrix series took several concepts from the film, including the Matrix digital rain, which was inspired by the opening credits of Ghost in the Shell, and the way characters access the Matrix through holes in the back of their necks. Other parallels have been drawn to James Cameron's Avatar , Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Jonathan Mostow's Surrogates . James Cameron cited Ghost in the Shell as a source of inspiration, [37] citing it as an influence on Avatar. [38]
Bungie's 2001 third-person action game Oni draws substantial inspiration from Ghost in the Shell's setting and characters. [39] [40] Ghost in the Shell also influenced video games such as the Metal Gear Solid series, [41] Deus Ex , [42] and Cyberpunk 2077 . [43] [44]
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow, is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an anime ONA series, a theatrical live action film, and several video games. As well as being a key figure in the development of cyberpunk aesthetics and themes in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a Japanese anime television series produced by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with original character design by Hajime Shimomura and a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno. The first season aired from October 2002 to October 2003 and was positively received by critics. A second season, titled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, aired from January 2004 to January 2005. Critical response to the series was generally positive.
Production I.G, Inc. is a Japanese animation studio.
Ghost in the Shell is a 1997 third-person shooter video game developed by Exact and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. A part of the larger Ghost in the Shell media franchise, it utilizes the same English voice cast as the feature film of the same name, although the two do not share a story continuity. The game was released in July 1997 in Japan, December 1997 by THQ in North America and July 1998 in Europe. Soundtrack albums, an artbook and a guidebook were produced to accompany the game.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a 2005 first-person shooter video game developed by G-Artists and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. Bandai released the game outside Japan. It is based on the cyberpunk anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and a sequel to the first Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex game. It was released in Japan on September 15, 2005, in Europe on October 21, 2005 distributed by Atari Europe, and in North America on October 26, 2005, but releasing it under the same name as the original PS2 game caused confusion and misinterpretation of it as a port.
Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 adult animated tech noir cyberpunk action thriller film directed by Mamoru Oshii from a screenplay by Kazunori Itō. The film is based on the 1989–91 manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. It stars the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, and Iemasa Kayumi. It is a Japanese-British international co-production between Kodansha, Bandai Visual and Manga Entertainment, with animation provided by Production I.G.
Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, which spawned the media franchise of the same name. It was first serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Young Magazine Zōkan Kaizokuban from 1989 to 1990, under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell, and was compiled in a single tankōbon volume. Set in the mid-21st-century, it tells the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society is a 2006 Japanese anime science fiction television film and part of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji Kamiyama.
Ghost in the Shell is a media franchise originally released as a manga by Masamune Shirow. It has since been translated into animated films, animated television series, a live action film, prose, and video games with similar titles.
The music for the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was primarily composed by Yoko Kanno and produced by Victor Entertainment. Soundtracks were also produced for the two OVA films, The Laughing Man and Individual Eleven, and the TV film Solid State Society.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a third-person shooter video game developed by Cavia and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is based on the cyberpunk anime of the same name. The game was released from March 2004 to May 2005, with the game having its own original soundtrack album released 1 day before its Japanese release. It was Sony's second video game based on the franchise, with a previous game for the PlayStation being the first.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise, also known in Japan as Mobile Armored Riot Police: Arise, is an original video animation and television series that serves as a re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell. The series features new character designs and is directed by Kazuchika Kise, screenplay by Tow Ubukata, and music by Cornelius.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – First Assault Online, also known simply as First Assault, was a free-to-play online first-person shooter video game developed by Neople and published by Nexon. It was one of adaptations of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, also known in Japan as Ghost in the Shell: The Movie or New Ghost in the Shell, is a 2015 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Kazuya Nomura. A continuation of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise original video animation, The New Movie is the first film in the series since Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society in 2006, and the first theatrical film since Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence in 2004. The film is a continuation of Pyrophoric Cult, and ties up loose ends from that arc.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) series based on the 1980s Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow, set in the Stand Alone Complex sub-continuity.
Shōtarō Suga was a Japanese screenwriter. He was famous for writing multiple anime series, most notably Darker than Black.
Kazuchika Kise is a Japanese director, animator, and character designer. He started working in the anime industry in 1989 with Patlabor: The Movie. In 2015, he made his directorial debut with Ghost in the Shell: Arise.
Junichi Fujisaku is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter and novelist that mostly known for his work on the Blood franchise and Ghost in the Shell: Arise series, produced by Production I.G.