Ghost in the Shell: Arise-Part 1 (Blu-ray) (2013) |
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Ghost in the Shell: Arise-Part 1 (Blu-ray) (2013) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Anime |
Audio Commentary-US Cast & Crew Audio Commentary OVA 2 Featurette-Ghost in the Shell: Arise at Anime Expo 2013 Featurette-Ghost Pain Cyberbrain I.G. Night Talk Show Featurette-Ghost Pain Cyberbrain Cast Night Talk Show Theatrical Trailer-CopiousTrailers, Promotional Videos, TV Spots More…-Textless Opening and Closing Songs Booklet-32 page colour booklet |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2013 | ||
| Running Time | 114:10 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
Dual Layered Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Kazuchika Kise Masahiko Murata Atsushi Takeuchi |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Maaya Sakamoto Elizabeth Maxwell Ikkyu Iyuki John Swasey Kenichirou Matsuda Christopher R Sabat Miyuki Sawashiro Jad Saxton Mayumi Asano Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Takuro Nakakuni Marcus D Stimac |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | ? | Music | Cornelius |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes, after each episode | ||
Ghost in the Shell initially appeared in 1989 in a manga written by Masamune Shirow before becoming an industry in its own right with additional manga issues, two films, video games and a TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex; there is also a live action film in the works. Ghost in the Shell: Arise is a series of OVAs (currently there are four) which occur two years before the original Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 1 contains the first two episodes (termed Borders) of the series on two Blu-rays. The two are Border 1:Ghost Pain and Border 2:Ghost Whispers.
Border 1:Ghost Pain (58:06) commences in 2027 with cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto / Elizabeth Maxwell) attached to Military Unit 501 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kurutsu (Mayumi Asano / Mary Elizabeth McGlynn). Kusanagi comes into contact with Aramaki (Ikkyu Iyuki / John Swasey), head of Section 9 of the Bureau of Public Safety, when Aramaki investigates the murder of a military officer who was accused of corruption. Initially in opposition, but later co-operating with Aramaki, Kusanagi uncovers a trail of deceit, corruption, murder and illegal weapons sales that permeates the military and high levels of the government. Along the way she meets a number of individuals who will feature in the series, including Batou (Kenichirou Matsuda / Christopher R Sabat), and she acquires her Logicoma (Miyuki Sawashiro / Jad Saxton). As the episode ends, Aramaki tries to recruit Kusanagi into Section 9 offering her an opportunity to create her own special squad.
In Border 2:Ghost Whispers (56:04) a Japanese Colonel and war hero is charged, tried and condemned for war crimes, including the massacre of civilians. To free the Colonel, prove his innocence and to discover the truth his supporters including Batou and Ishikawa (Tomoyuki Dan / Brandon Potter) paralyse the city’s AI traffic control system and infiltrate the Pandora Military Database. Aramaki tasks Major Kusanagi with finding a solution and she starts building her team including the mercenary sniper Saito (Takuro Nakakuni / Marcus D Stimac). Along the way she meets US Special Forces operative VV (Takako Fuji / Stephanie Young) and learns about a stolen American data module. But with a trail of false memories being implanted, it may not be easy for Kusanagi to discover what really is at stake and who the real enemy is.
I am not overly familiar with the diverse Ghost in the Shell universe so came to Ghost in the Shell: Arise without much in the way of background. While knowledge of Ghost in the Shell will aid understanding of Ghost in the Shell: Arise, it is not essential to enjoyment of this exciting and colourful series; most things make enough sense to be able to figure out what is happening, and indeed Ghost in the Shell: Arise presents some things that are at odds with the previous incarnations, including the fact that Kusanagi’s cyborg powers and wholly prosthetic body occurred from birth and not as a result of an accident later in life. The two episodes are also different, with different directors: the first is primarily a mystery, the second full blown action, but both are visually impressive with beautifully drawn animation and vivid colours, and include complex plots and good action.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 1 is a two disc Blu-ray set. One episode is on each disc and both discs contain a range of extras.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, the original broadcast ratio, in 1080p using the MPEG-4 AVC code.
This series looks stunning. This is not an OVA series where Production I.G has cut corners. The drawings, both CG and hand drawn, result in clean, strong and detailed images while the colours, especially the reds and yellows and the dark blues of the night, are deep and vivid.
I did not notice any marks or artefacts.
It is anime so lip synchronisation is approximate in either audio track.
The English subtitles are in American English in a clear white font. The subtitles are burnt in when the Japanese dub is selected so cannot be removed for Japanese speakers. I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors.
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Audio is a choice of Japanese or English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, so both have the same specifications, unlike some anime. The audio stream cannot be changed on the fly with the remote – you must return to the main menu.
The effects and surround activity were the same in both tracks. Effects were crisp and nicely differentiated, such as gunshots, while there was music, weather effects such as rain and general ambience in the rears. There were also panning effects, most noticeable in the vehicle and motorbike chase in the second episode. The sub-woofer did add bass to the music, thunder and explosions.
The English voice cast was not too bad but I still prefer the original Japanese audio. In both the dialogue was clear and easy to hear.
The electronic score by Cornelius is sometimes effective and sometimes intrusive.
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There are an extensive range of extras spread over both discs.
Producer and Production I.G CEO Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and general director of the series Kazuchika Kise are at an Amine Expo in the US. This featurette consists of footage of fans attending the expo, scenes from the anime plus an extended interview with Ishikawa and Kise about the series, including working with the original manga author Masamune Shirow to create the plot of Arise, selecting writer Tow Ubukata, the decision to make the OVAs 50-60 minutes each, the reason for the redesign of the characters and the hiring of a new voice cast. Worth watching.
A cartoon with Logicomas explaining some of their powers, sort of!
A trailer centring on the character of Kusanagi.
A TV spot by any other name.
Ditto.
As it says.
The opening song without the credits.
US ADR director Zach Bolton and US script adaptor Patrick Seitz join with US voice cast members Elizabeth Maxwell and Christopher R Sabat (the voices of Motoko and Batou). They chat, laugh and talk about nothing in particular relevant to the series except a bit on translating and adapting the Japanese into English.
A cartoon with a Logicoma being tried for unspecified charges. With a witness they get far more than they expected.
Another TV spot by any other name.
As it says.
Promotion focusing on Unit 501.
Producer and Production I.G CEO Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, general director Kazuchika Kise, director of Border 1 Masahiko Murata and animation director Tetsuya Nishio front an audience after a screening of Border 1 and answer questions. Rather self-congratulatory but with a bit on character designs and their favourite scenes.
Cast members Turusuke Shingaki, Kenichiro Matsuda and Mayuni Asano (the voices of Togusa, Batou and Kurutsu respectively) and producer Tomohisa Nishimura front an audience after a screening of Border 1 and answer questions about auditioning for the role, building their characters and the recording sessions. Light-hearted and fun.
A trailer by any other name for Border:1.
A TV spot for Border:1.
Two TV spots for the US Blu-ray and DVD.
A short mission for the squad that looks more like a video game.
Promotion for the Arise GT Racing team.
The opening song without the credits.
The nice closing song without the credits.
The US trailer for the Blu-ray and DVD release.
A 32 page colour booklet with character designs, interviews with the directors of each episode, the writer, the general director / character designer, the composer, the 3D director plus information on cyberbrains, hacking and domination, false memories and the city landscapes. This is an excellent and informative booklet.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Our release of Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 1 is basically the same as the versions available in Region A US and Region B UK.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 1 is complex, colourful and exciting, with interesting characters and excellent animation. As a prequel to Ghost in the Shell you do not need to be immersed in the Ghost in the Shell universe to appreciate and enjoy Ghost in the Shell: Arise. Bring on Part 2!
The video is excellent, the audio very good. The extras are extensive and generally worthwhile.
| Video | |
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony BDP-S580, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 55inch HD LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | NAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | NAD T737 |
| Speakers | Studio Acoustics 5.1 |